Port of Nigg Making Room for More Offshore Wind

Development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has approved an investment of up to GBP 8.3 million in Scottish Government funding for an GBP 18.9 million project to develop the East Quay at Port of Nigg in Easter Ross.

Owned by Global Energy Group (GEG), Port of Nigg is home to the largest graving dock facility in Europe with more than 900 metres of deep-water quayside.

A major asset in servicing the oil and gas industry over many decades, the facility has more recently become an established hub in the growing renewables sector.

Its first major 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.

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 scope (marshalling, assembly, and load out) for large projects.

“Offshore renewables represent a huge opportunity not only for the region, but for all of Scotland and we are committed to making the most of this to support growth within the Scottish supply chain, bring new projects to Scotland and build a green recovery from COVID-19,” Scotland’s 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.”

Work is expected to begin in April and will take around 14-16 months to complete.

Once completed, the new facility is forecast to bring an additional GBP 11.24 million in new business to the area in its first three years and create up to 39 new jobs.

“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,” Rory Gunn, facilities director at the Port of Nigg, said.

“This new quayside will greatly enhance the capabilities of our port, and help to attract further customers, inward investment and job creation.”