Government to invest £55m in Scottish port to drive offshore wind growth
The money will support the Port of Cromarty Firth to become the first in the UK to make floating offshore wind infrastructure on site and at scale.
The Government has announced a £55.7 million investment into a Scottish port to bolster the floating offshore wind industry.
The money will support the Port of Cromarty Firth to become the first in the UK to make the infrastructure on site and at scale.
Floating offshore wind involves building turbines that are mounted on floating platforms anchored to the seabed, allowing for electricity generation in deep ocean waters.
The Government hopes the initial funding, backed by a grant from the Government’s Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (Flowmis), will attract match-funding from other investors.
The port is expected to become operational by the start of 2028, supporting an estimated 280 to 1,000 highly skilled jobs in construction, installation and operational support to wind farms.
It comes as part of Government efforts to deliver on its wider ambitions to decarbonise the grid by 2030 and drive economic growth.
Energy minister Michael Shanks said: “Communities in Scotland and across the country should be powered by reliable, home-grown, clean energy from British coastlines – this is how we reduce our reliance on unstable fossil fuel markets and bring down energy bills for good.
“The UK is already a world leader in floating offshore wind, but this support for Cromarty Firth will take us even further – creating hundreds of jobs in Scotland and delivering energy security for the UK.”
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “Scotland is a key part of making the UK a global leader in clean energy and this investment is a significant vote of confidence in the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and the surrounding area.”
Alex Campbell, Port of Cromarty Firth chief executive, said: “The Port is delighted that Flowmis funding has been secured for our ambitious Phase 5 expansion, which is a critical step towards creating the UK’s first custom-built floating offshore wind integration port.
“We believe this confirmation by the UK Government shows the faith in our Trust Port status to deliver jobs and economic growth locally and nationally, and that the certainty from this announcement will unlock further investment in other ports across the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport to boost their complementary plans.”
