Forth Ports sets out net zero ambitions

At a launch event in Edinburgh on 4 October, the ports group, the third largest in the UK, outlined ways it will eliminate scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2032 with full net zero carbon emissions being achieved by 2042.

Key to this strategy is a ‘substantial’ investment in infrastructure, port services and towage to support the UK’s renewable energy sector, including offshore wind. In recent months, the group has also unveiled plans for green hydrogen production facilities at the Port of Tilbury on the River Thames.

Speaking at the event, Charles Hammond OBE, group chief executive of Forth Ports, said the group was ‘driving progressive change in the maritime industry and beyond’.

“Our existing major investment in green energy, coupled with our commitment to floating wind, the next generation of renewable energy, and our collaborative approach underscore our determination to play our part in driving the transition to a decarbonised economy to achieve meaningful and lasting environmental change,” he said.

A private investment programme totalling £150 million (€173 million) has already helped develop renewables hubs in Dundee and Leith in Scotland and the group is now planning a high-capacity FLOW integration facility at the Port of Burntisland in Fife, as well as an overhaul across all eight of its UK ports to make them more sustainable.

Initiatives will focus on sustainable electricity, low carbon fuels, green energy ports and scope 3 (supply chain) emissions.