North Ayreshire marine yard secures planning as centre for renewables infrastructure
Planning permission has been secured for a £150 million upgrade to a marine yard at Hunterston in North Ayreshire, paving the way for increased investment in offshore wind power off Scotland’s west coast.
Peel Ports Clydeport has secured approval for the complete redevelopment of the former coal terminal which it plans to transform into a centre for major renewables infrastructure. The site already benefits from multimodal connectivity with good road connections, as well as deep sea and rail terminal connectivity, providing direct access to Scotland and the rest of the UK.
The redevelopment works – which are expected to start in early 2025 and last for around two years – will include substantial upgrades to the marine yard, including infilling the current dry-dock basin and the creation of a new quay wall.
There is a string of renewables projects already under way or in the pipeline at Hunterston, such as Highview Power’s recently announced plan to construct the world’s largest liquid air energy storage facility.
The overall redevelopment of Hunterston is expected to attract £3.5bn in inward investment and create more than 5,000 jobs.
Lewis McIntyre, managing director – port services at Peel Ports Group, said, “Hunterston is set to become a major facilitator of the UK energy transition, and this decision is a big step forward in making that happen. It also proves that the west coast is going to play a huge role in renewables.
“There will be no energy transition without ports, and harnessing the potential of sites like Hunterston is key to achieving the UK’s net-zero goals. The knock-on benefits for the local and national economies are also significant.”
Of the 350 acres being redeveloped, some 90 per cent of the site is already under option, supporting energy transition projects such as HVDC cable manufacturing, the UK’s first hub for the manufacturing of wind turbine gravity base structures, power generation and storage.