Work has started to transform a disused Scottish port into a floating wind manufacturing hub.
A £20m (€23.5m) capital dredge at the former oil rig fabricator yard Ardersier, 14 miles east of Inverness will start the process to reopen the UK’s largest brownfield port.
A 34ha floating wind manufacturing hub for concrete foundations in exclusive partnership with BW Ideol is planned for the new site.
The agreement with Ardersier Port guarantees BW Ideol, exclusive access to the port for the manufacture of their concrete floating wind foundations.
This is expected to be the largest floating wind foundation fabrication, manufacturing and assembly facility in the UK – in an offshore wind market predicted to deliver 29,000 jobs and £43.6bn to the UK economy by 2050.
An oil rig decommissioning facility located at Ardersier will supply steel to be recycled as reinforcement for concrete floating wind foundations.
A “green steel” mill, powered by offshore wind, is also planned for the site.
It is anticipated thousands of long-term jobs will follow.
The nine-month capital dredge is expected to remove 2.5 million cubic metres of sand (equivalent to 1000 Olympic swimming pools) – which will open up the port once more.
Ardersier Port owner Steve Regan said: “The UK has set a world leading net zero target to build back better, support green jobs and accelerate our path to net zero.
“At Ardersier we can lead the UK’s Green Industrial Revolution by using circular economy practices to deliver new low carbon infrastructure built on the by-products of our oil and gas past.
“This is a once in a generation opportunity to create a world-leading industrial and offshore wind manufacturing facility here in the UK.
“It is a simple plan where each element makes commercial sense as a stand-alone project – but when combined, the benefits to the economy, and the environment, are multiplied.”
BW Ideol is one of three partners (together with Elicio and BayWa r.e) in the Floating Energy Allyance which has submitted applications for offshore wind development rights in the ScotWind leasing round run by Crown Estate Scotland, with a decision due early next year.
The Allyance has pledged to manufacture all its floating concrete foundations in Scotland, creating almost 4000 jobs.
BW Ideol’s chief executive Paul de la Gueriviere said: “The lack of large infrastructure is a bottle neck to deliver the number of floating foundations required for the UK market’s ambitious development plans, both in terms of local content and the production rate expected.
“Ardersier Port is a unique facility to unlock these constraints.
“In comparison to steel foundations, floating wind offers a unique opportunity to combine both price competitiveness and local manufacturing, thanks to BW Ideol’s unique concrete floater solution.
“As an early mover in the market, we have engaged with the port’s owners for several years, sharing a joint vision to create a circular and sustainable local supply chain.
“By securing exclusive access to Ardersier Port, BW Ideol is reaffirming its commitment to manufacture its floating foundations locally, maximizing the benefit for Scotland and the rest of UK, without conditions.”