Regional development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has approved investment of over £8m in Scottish Government funding for a project to develop the East Quay at Port of Nigg in Easter Ross.
The £8.3m in funding, contributing to an £18.9m redevelopment project for the port, will help the Highlands and Islands economy benefit more from the growth in renewable energy development, HIE said.
Work is expected to begin in April and will take around 14-16 months to complete.
The new facility, when completed, is forecast to bring an additional £11.24m in new business to the area in its first three years and create up to 39 new jobs.
Port of Nigg, owned by Global Ennergy Group (GEG), is home to the largest graving dock facility in Europe with more than 900 metres of deep-water quayside.
The facility’s first big renewables project was the logistics and marshalling for the wind turbine scope for the Beatrice offshore wind development, during which time demand for quayside space began to exceed infrastructure capacity.
This demand and the opportunities associated with wider growth in renewables are the main drivers behind the East Quay development, said the HIE.
GEG is planning to build new infrastructure of 225 metres of additional deep-water quayside and adjacent laydown area at the eastern edge of the park.
This will help meet the needs of existing clients while enabling greater participation in renewables activities with capacity to carry out both the foundation stage and the Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) scope (marshalling, assembly and load out) for large projects.
Scotland energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “This announcement marks a significant step as we continue to push forward with our ambitious and world-leading net zero targets and a target of seeing 11GW of offshore wind developed in Scotland’s waters by 2030, alongside the launch of Crown Estate Scotland’s first ScotWind leasing round.
“At the end of last year, we also unveiled more than 100 new policies and proposals to support our green recovery, which will also help deliver a just transition to net zero.”
Port of Nigg facilities director Rory Gunn added: “The investment required to transform Nigg into what it is today is significant, and we are eternally thankful to Highland and Islands Enterprise for their continued support on this journey.
“With a 50-year pipeline of opportunity ahead of us with the Scotwind renewables leasing round, the Cromarty Firth facilities are ideally located to support those projects.
“This new quayside will greatly enhance the capabilities of our port, and help to attract further customers, inward investment and job creation.”