Port of Ardersier puts its faith in offshore wind

Plans have been submitted to Highland Council, Marine Scotland and Transport Scotland for a Harbour Revision Order, an application for Planning Permission in Principle and applications for Marine Licenses for an offshore renewable led assembly, manufacturing and port facility and associated development at Whiteness Head, Ardersier, north east of Inverness on the Moray Firth.

The plans involve all elements of offshore windfarm development including manufacture, construction, assembly, repair, maintenance, marine storage and decommissioning. Associated works include channel dredging, quay realignment, repair and maintenance, offices, industrial and storage buildings and associated new road access, infrastructure and services.

The site of Port of Ardersier is the former McDermott Fabrication Yard, constructed on land reclaimed from the foreshore in the 1970’s for fabrication and construction of offshore oil and gas platforms. The port enjoyed considerable success in this role for almost 30 years, providing employment for around 4,500 people, a history that puts it in a similar promising position with the advent of major offshore wind projects in the North Sea, including the Moray Firth Round 3 windfarm, around 70km from the port at its nearest point. Ardersier has been identified within Scottish Enterprises’ National Renewable Infrastructure Plan as a suitable port location for the industry.

The development will be contained within a secured area of around 340 hectares, of which 71 hectares would be assigned for logistics use. A mooring area for completed turbine bases will be established offshore covering an area of some 10,000m2. It is anticipated the planning process will take around six months. If successful, it could enable the port to be open for business in early 2014. The published date for the first (on site) construction activities for the £4.5 billion Moray Firth windfarm is 2016 and the Port of Ardersier estimates this project alone could bring up to 3,000 jobs to the region.

The Scottish government have ambitious plans for renewable energy including offshore wind and, earlier this year, Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond announced a memorandum of understanding between Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Port of Ardersier recognising the port’s capacity to become a key hub for projects such as Moray.

Port of Ardersier CEO Captain Stephen Gobbi said: “There are few other locations in the UK, or indeed Europe, which can offer this quality and quantity of vacant land, a 1,000m deep water quay and proximity to the major offshore wind development zones in the North Sea”.