Port of Leith has received a £50 million investment to handle offshore wind turbines and equipment for the giant Inch Cape Wind Farm.
Forth Projects – the company’s in-house logistics division – will handle monopile and jacket foundations for the 1.1 gigawatt farm being built 12 kilometres off the Angus coast.
The investment will enhance the port’s marine access, infrastructure and vessel assets and includes plant and equipment that will be used to deliver Inch Cape, the largest handling contract awarded to Forth.
It is the second phase of the 175-acre Leith Renewables Hub which also forms part of the tax-beneficial Forth Green Freeport.
The specialist pre-assembly and marshalling of the wind farm’s 72 turbines – comprising 72 nacelles, 216 blades and 72 towers – will be undertaken by Vestas in the Port of Dundee which was previously announced as a hub for Inch Cape in 2022.
Forth Ports chief executive Stuart Wallace said: “Inch Cape represents a very significant milestone for Forth Ports as it is the largest offshore wind contract ever to be awarded to our business. When it goes live, Inch Cape will have a significant impact on Scotland’s energy transition as the country drives to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
“Our strategy is to create and build the renewables hubs ahead of market demand and we have achieved this in Dundee and Leith. Coupled with other specialist facilities delivered by Forth Projects, this creates an unrivalled prime position for Forth Ports to deliver large offshore wind projects.
“We have a clear vision and today we commit to investing a further £50million in Leith, from our own resources, to support Inch Cape and future renewables projects.”
John Hill, Inch Cape project director, said: “Through our substantial contract with Forth Ports, Inch Cape is pleased to be the catalyst for a major infrastructure investment that will not only benefit our own project but also those Scottish projects that are to follow.
“The utilisation of these two east coast ports – Leith and Dundee – for our offshore construction, will also facilitate significant opportunities with our Tier 1 contractors for the wider Scottish supply chain.”
During a visit to the Port of Leith, Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, said: “Investment in key sectors such as Scotland’s ports can reap rewards. This is why the Scottish Budget commits £150 million to the offshore wind infrastructure and supply – to attract private investment such as this announcement from Forth Ports.”
Once completed in 2027, Inch Cape – one of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farms – will generate enough green energy to power half of Scotland’s homes.
It will feature state-of-the-art Vestas 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the tallest ever deployed in Scottish waters at a height of 274m (20m taller than Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh) and a new onshore substation now under construction on the brownfield site of the former Cockenzie Power Station, East Lothian.
#Port #Leith #50m #support #biggest #contract #Daily #Business