27/03/2003

Local companies power their way to £21m of business

Construction of a £150 million state-of-the-art power station to replace the existing oil fired plant at Coolkeeragh on the outskirts of Londonderry is bringing real, local economic benefits.

This was the message from Leslie Morrison, Chief Executive of Invest NI who was speaking today during a visit to the construction site.

Mr Morrison was briefed by Richard Sterling, CEO of Coolkeeragh Power Station on how the “Supplier Development Model”, supported by Invest NI, has already resulted in local businesses winning contracts worth more than £21 million in total, in activities such as construction, civil works, scaffolding, piping erection, electrical contracting, cleaning, site security and administration.

The Coolkeeragh ‘Supplier Development Model’ involved a number of actions to help build relationships between local companies and the various buyers on the main contractor side. These included an internet-based database of suppliers, skills and competencies, with an associated forum for knowledge exchange between Invest NI, Coolkeeragh, the main contractor and local suppliers.

Support initiatives covering Information Technology, legal advice and a buyer’s forum were also included. As a result, the local economy has maximised the benefits from the project, both in economic and skill enhancement terms.

(MB)

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