Port of Dundee Gearing Up for Offshore Wind

Forth Ports Limited plans to invest more than GBP 10 million to build a new quayside at the Port of Dundee and turn this port on Scotland’s east coast into a center for the North Sea offshore wind industry.

This privately funded investment will result in the development of the quayside at the east end of the port, connecting to the existing Prince Charles Wharf. The quayside will offer heavy lift capability over its entire 200m length with an ultra-heavy lift pad at one end. This capability, coupled with a deep-water berth and significant land area of around 60 acres, will facilitate the handling of the largest cargoes, as demanded by these emerging North Sea industry sectors.

The quayside will be equipped to handle marine projects such as offshore anchor and chain servicing, and offshore wind turbine assembly and deployment activities, as well as operations and maintenance.

“This is an important, privately funded investment for the Port of Dundee which is ideally placed to service the needs of North Sea oil & gas, decommissioning and Scotland’s offshore wind sector over the coming years,” Charles Hammond, Chief Executive of Forth Ports, said.

”The port’s existing skills base and location, combined with its riverside berths, deep water and rock river bed, put the port in a key position to become a hub for these sectors for construction, operations and maintenance and for decommissioning. Our investment also puts Dundee in a position to benefit from offshore renewable projects such as Neart na Gaoithe which has the potential to deliver cost efficient renewable energy and economic benefits for Dundee. We are committed to investing in the port to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support these industries and for the city of Dundee to fully capitalise on the significant opportunities they present.”

The construction process will take 18 months to complete with work starting immediately. Upon completion, the quayside will be 200 metres longer than currently and will be one of the strongest quaysides in Scotland, at a strength capability of 80 tonnes per square metre.

The Port of Dundee has been identified as one of Scotland’s top locations for renewable manufacturing by Scottish Enterprise under the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan, and is within the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Renewables East Enterprise Area. In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding between the port and SSE plc, Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise was signed in 2011 with the goal of supporting SSE in establishing a competitive supply chain for its offshore wind development programme.