Construction work is scheduled to start on 16 June on the expansion of Kishorn Port , which will increase the size of the dry dock and reclaim land to create capacity at the Scottish port for the manufacture of concrete floating offshore wind foundations.
The upgrade will enable the port to provide full integration, with laydown, marshalling and assembly, in the long term, according to Kishorn Port Ltd.
“With a quarry on-site, Kishorn Port is ideally suited for manufacturing of concrete floating offshore wind sub-structures” , the port operator said on 11 June.
“The development opens the port to new market opportunities and, as well as Scotland, our key target markets are the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. We are already receiving strong expressions of interest to utilise the enlarged dry dock area, along with the additional laydown space, for floating offshore and decommissioning projects.”
For the expansion project, worth GBP 42.2 million (around EUR 49.6 million), the port recently secured an investment of GBP 24.26 million (around EUR 28.81 million) from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
According to Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Kishorn Port houses one of the largest openings of any dry dock facility in Europe, making it a unique and valuable asset.
The port’s dry dock was utilised for the construction of the 48 MW Kincardine floating wind farm.
The construction work to expand the port’s capacity will create 84 jobs for up to 18 months, Kishorn Port Ltd says.
The principal contractor for the project is RJ McLeod, based in Scotland, and supporting services are also being delivered by Scottish firms.
Once complete, Kishorn Port’s expanded facilities are forecast to attract projects with the potential to support up to 1,500 jobs.