SOWEC response to Greenport announcement

SOWEC welcomes Greenport announcement and highlights the opportunity  in offshore wind for a wider group of Scottish ports

• Today the UK & Scottish governments announced the results of the Greenport competition.
• Cromarty Firth and the Firth of Forth have been selected as the two new Scottish Greenports, and now join a group of other UK freeports.
• Ports around the Cromarty and the Forth are likely to be at the forefront for the build out of offshore wind. However, the volume of activity to deliver Scotland's offshore wind pipeline will mean significant work for other Scottish ports, which also need support and encouragement.

Issued 11:15, 13/01/2022, for immediate use

On Friday 13 January 2023, the Cromarty Firth and Forth Ports area were announced as new Greenports.

The UK and Scottish governments have jointly confirmed that Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport have been successful in their bids to establish a new Green Freeport.

Welcoming the announcement, Brian McFarlane, industry co-chair of the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council commented:

It is great that Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth have secured Greenport status, as both are set to be leading locations for the build out of offshore wind in Scotland. The average Scottish supply chain spend from the proposed 20 ScotWind projects is estimated at £1.4bn per project built, and a significant proportion of this will need to flow through ports and the businesses clustered around them.

However, the world-leading offshore wind pipeline we have in Scotland will require the involvement and support of multiple Scottish ports. That means it’s vital that we find routes to involve and support all the different ports who can support manufacturing, assembly, and the long-term operation activities required by offshore wind. The Scottish Government and industry are working in partnership through SOWEC on a Collaborative Framework to support the creation of a Floating Offshore Wind Port Cluster, and strengthen the case for infrastructure investment.

ENDS

• The Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) is a partnership between the Scottish public sector and the offshore wind industry.  Co-chaired by Ivan McKee, Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism & Enterprise, and Brian McFarlane of SSE
• SOWEC’s mission is to coordinate and grow the sector, ensuring the Scottish offshore wind industry is more sustainable, competitive, and commercially-attractive, both domestically and in the global offshore wind market.
• Industry and government are working in partnership through a Collaborative Framework. SOWEC’s work to bring developers together to explore collaborative ways of working stems from the 2021 Strategic Investment Assessment report which can be found here.

• Information on today’s Greenport announcement can be found here or here.

For further information please contact Maf Smith, SOWEC Communications Adviser: maf@lumenee.cc, 07768 531501