Vision for Fife offshore wind facility could generate thousands of jobs and accelerate net zero journey

Scotland’s largest ports operator is eyeing plans for a major floating offshore wind facility in Fife that could play a critical role in the country achieving its net zero ambitions.

Forth Ports’ vision for a big expansion at the Port of Burntisland forms a key part of the group’s journey towards a greener future, after it firmed up on a commitment to achieve net zero carbon operations by 2042.

Chief executive Charles Hammond told The Scotsman that the Burntisland proposals would come with “significant” investment and had the potential to generate thousands of direct and related jobs. “Floating wind is at the early stages but the government is trying to encourage investment and we will be a participant in that,” said Hammond. “We see the deep water at Burntisland as being perfect for turbine installations. What we are developing in Leith for turbine components and potentially manufacturing means there is an opportunity to feed these across to a deep water facility in Burntisland with floating wind foundations, install them there then tow them out. That’s the concept we are working on just now. It’s got the potential to be quite a high productivity facility. And because the water is relatively sheltered you get that reliability of installation and commissioning.”

He added: “Burntisland is part of the Forth Green Freeport area and in terms of investment it would be significant. We are talking thousands of jobs potentially, not just through the marine activity but the potential for components to be manufactured and supplied from there.”

A CGI of Forth Ports' proposal for a high-capacity floating offshore wind integration facility at the Port of Burntisland in Fife.

An event in Edinburgh last night saw the company, which owns and operates commercial ports at Dundee on the Firth of Tay and Leith, Grangemouth, Rosyth, Methil, Burntisland and Kirkcaldy on the Firth of Forth, launch a film which outlined its vision of achieving carbon neutral emissions by 2032. It is creating an infrastructure platform to “help accelerate the UK’s path to a decarbonised economy” with 2042 set out as the longer-term goal for full net zero carbon emissions.

A cornerstone of the group’s green strategy is substantial investment in infrastructure, port services and towage to support the build out of the UK’s renewable energy sector, including offshore wind. An investment programme, totalling some £150 million, has already provided crucial support to offshore wind development with the creation of bespoke renewables hubs in Dundee and in Leith to be part of an offshore wind revolution in the North Sea. In recent months, the group has also unveiled plans for hydrogen production facilities at the Port of Tilbury, on the Thames, which is operated by Leith-headquartered Forth Ports.

The Edinburgh launch event saw the firm pitch its proposals for the floating offshore wind integration facility at Burntisland. It would play a key role in the UK achieving its net zero ambitions, with over half of Scotland’s offshore wind capacity in the deep waters where floating wind is to be deployed.

The Forth estuary is touted as one of the few locations with the capability to integrate floating offshore wind turbines in Scotland. Forth Ports said its vision for the Fife facility would produce a “unique asset” combining key elements of the offshore wind supply chain across logistics, marshalling, manufacturing and marine services. Within and around the firths of Forth and Tay, the group manages and operates an area of 280 square miles of navigable waters, including two specialised marine terminals for oil and gas export and provides other marine services, such as towage and conservancy.

Charles Hammond, chief executive of Edinburgh-headquartered Forth Ports. Picture by Peter Devlin

Hammond said: “With our firm commitment to carbon neutrality by 2032 and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2042, we are driving progressive change in the maritime industry and beyond. Our ambitious vision reflects our dedication to environmental stewardship and our crucial role in supporting the UK move towards a decarbonised economy for the generations of the future.”

The group is also looking to reinstate a rail connection to Rosyth as part of the Forth Green Freeport initiative. It has invested significantly in port infrastructure to support the roll-out of ScotWind at Dundee and Leith.

On the possibility of reviving a direct ferry link between Scotland and mainland Europe after the axing of the final service connecting Rosyth and Zeebrugge in 2018, the Forth Ports boss added: “The infrastructure is there, it just needs a bit of concerted action between an operator, the freight community and the government to see what is possible, but there is a willingness to look at it again and we will certainly play a part in any discussions.”

Forth Ports’ blueprint for change came as a Scottish renewables start-up launched floating offshore wind technology that promises “greener, faster and cheaper” installation methods. Encomara has been founded by four industry stalwarts, each with more than 30 years of energy sector experience, including in wave, tidal, fixed and floating offshore wind. They are chief operating officer Ian Cobban, chief technology officer Malcolm Bowie and executive chairman Ian Donald, alongside chief executive Raymond Semple.

Significant investment in research and development has resulted in the company’s first patented product, branded Squid - a quick connector for power cables, mooring lines and anchor interfaces, which is said to offer rapid and simplified “plug-to-power” capability. Semple said: “By 2050, 15 per cent of all offshore wind energy generated is forecast to come from floating offshore wind turbines, which equates to 15,000 turbines. We’ve taken inspiration from the scale-up success of fixed wind as well as other offshore sectors’ methodologies, culminating in solutions which are safer, greener, faster, cheaper, and higher yielding than the traditional installation methods.