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International project management and services company AMEC has won a contract to design and manage delivery of the world's first deepwater offshore project in the Moray Firth off north-east Scotland. The contract was awarded by Talisman Energy and Scottish and Southern Energy, the partners in the project to install two Repower 5 MW turbines in 45 metres of water near Talisman Energy's North Sea Beatrice oilfield. The project is part funded by the EU, the Scottish Executive and the UK's Department of Trade and Industry. Existing infrastructure and connections to the Beatrice oilfield will be modified to accept electricity from the turbines for onward transmission to shore. The field's production platforms will also provide a base to carry out turbine monitoring and maintenance. The project is Europe's largest renewable energy research and development program. Its aim is to develop new technologies and processes to enable Europe to take a global lead in deepwater offshore wind farms. If planning approval is granted, the turbines will be installed in summer 2006. AMEC, with headquarters in London, employs 44,000 people in 40 countries.