Cromarty Firth is primed and ready for massive offshore wind expansion
The massive expansion of the Scottish offshore wind sector that will follow today’s ScotWind leasing round announcement has been hailed as a game-changing opportunity for the Highlands and Scotland by the Port of Cromarty Firth (PoCF)
With the majority of the sites ideally located for the firth, the multi-billion pound development of the wind farms is expected to play a key role in securing a 50-70-year pipeline of projects in the area.
The Cromarty Firth was identified as Scotland’s leading location for the formation of a strategic national offshore wind port cluster that would deliver a huge economic boost to the nation in a report by the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) last year.
PoCF chief executive, Bob Buskie, said: “As the first round of offshore wind leasing in a decade, today’s highly anticipated announcement is hugely significant for the Cromarty Firth, the Highlands and Scotland. We congratulate the developers who have been successful in the selection process.
“The Port of Cromarty Firth is primed and ready to take advantage of the opportunity with the winning developers, alongside our partners in Opportunity Cromarty Firth (OCF), collaborating to provide a sustainable economic impact in the Highlands for years to come.”
With an estimated total value of around £26billion, ScotWInd is likely to be the be the biggest set of infrastructure projects in Scotland over the next decade.
Mr Buskie added: “Wind farm projects offer many opportunities for people and businesses.
“Their construction, operation and maintenance and repowering or decommissioning will bring billions of pounds of investment and new jobs to Scotland.” He continued: “Commercial deployment of floating wind and green hydrogen is likely to happen first in Scotland. “Because of that, our country could have a unique advantage if we build a supply chain with the skills and expertise that can then be exported around the world in the future.”
The Cromarty Firth area hosts a number of leading supply chain companies, as well as a locally skilled workforce with essential engineering experience. This is coupled with first-class port infrastructure and manufacturing facilities, which have benefitted from over £110m of industry-led investments in recent years.
The Invergordon-based PoCF is a trust port and is one of the backers of the OCF consortium, a collaborative initiative, exploring the opportunity for the Cromarty Firth to become a national strategic renewable energy hub.
OCF is also backed by Port of Nigg owners Global Energy Group, and more than a dozen regional businesses, as well as public sector organisations and academic bodies.
