The UK government has announced a £55.7m investment in Scotland’s Cromarty Firth port , which will make it a major hub for the manufacturing of floating offshore wind turbines.
Floating offshore wind and the Cromarty Firth harbour
With this grant, the Cromarty Firth port is positioned as the first in the UK with the capacity to manufacture floating wind turbines on a large scale. This capability will be vital in establishing the UK as a global leader in the floating offshore wind industry.
The investment will support the construction of infrastructure needed for turbine production and facilitate the development of innovative technologies to improve the efficiency of floating offshore wind energy. The government hopes to achieve its energy goals and boost job creation in the country.
The Cromarty Firth expansion is expected to create up to 1,000 highly skilled jobs in sectors such as marine engineering, crane operation and maritime logistics. In addition, the construction of the port will contribute to the local economy, with up to 320 direct jobs being created in the initial phases of the expansion. These jobs will be geared towards the construction, installation and maintenance of the turbines, covering a variety of skills and boosting local employment.
Communities in Scotland and across the country should be supplied with reliable, clean, locally produced energy on British shores – this is how we reduce our dependence on unstable fossil fuel markets and lower energy bills for good.
Michael Shanks, Energy Minister.
The UK has the largest grid-connected floating offshore wind farm in the world , and this new development in the Cromarty Firth will be a step towards achieving the 30GW of floating offshore wind capacity the government has projected for 2030.
Through our Plan for Change, the UK Government is paving the way for cutting-edge floating offshore wind technology while helping to create highly skilled jobs and drive economic growth.
Ian Murray, Secretary of State for Scotland.
FLOWMIS and the future of clean energy
The Port of Cromarty Firth has been selected to receive funding from the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme ( FLOWMIS ), which launched in 2023 to support the port infrastructure required for the development of large-scale floating offshore wind. The scheme has also benefited the port of Port Talbot, which is developing complementary schemes to support the wind industry in South Wales.
In addition, the government has launched the ” Clean Industry Bonus “, a program aimed at incentivizing the development of more sustainable supply chains in offshore wind energy and job creation in industrial communities.
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Source: GOV.UK
Photo: Port of Cromarty Firth
