a STRING of deals including work in the offshore wind and hydro-electric sectors is expected to give a GBP4 million boost to the Scottish practice of an international risk consultancy firm.  Environmental Resources Management (ERM), which has offices in aberdeen and Edinburgh, has won a contract to carry out the environmental impact assessment (EIa) and manage the consent process for the Beatrice offshore wind farm off the coast of Caithness.  The project - which is being developed by Perth-based utilities giant Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) and aberdeen-based consultancy SeaEnergy Renewables - proposes to erect 184 turbines about 13.5 kilometres off the coast.  ERM said it would sub-contract the work to up to 15 specialist consulting companies and would itself be "heavily involved" in consulting with the public on the proposals.  SSE and SeaEnergy expect to submit an EIa and other planning consent documents before the end of the year.  In a second deal, ERM will also be carrying out an EIa for power company RWE Npower Renewables on a hydro-electric scheme in the Highlands.The scheme at Easter aberchalder, about 25km south of Inverness, will generate some 750,000 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power about 1,000 homes.  RWE Npower's "run-of-river" scheme covers a 1.5km stretch of the aberchalder Burn. Water taken from the river will be returned further downstream once it has been used to generate electricity.  aileen McLuckie, ERM's principal consultant in Scotland, said the firm was also servicing many of its international clients from its Edinburgh office.  "We are pleased to be working with a number of high profile companies," she said. "Our services to these businesses, in Scotland and internationally, range from strategic advice to industrial safety and environmental impact assessment."