Hunterston: Major development in £150m port plans paves way for one of world's largest energy storage sites

A £150 million project to transform a former coal terminal on Scotland’s west coast has been given the go ahead, paving the way for one of the world’s largest energy storage sites.

Peel Ports Clydeport has been granted planning permission for a complete overhaul of Hunterston marine yard in Ayrshire. The site is being prepared for major renewable energy infrastructure.

Work to revamp the site could begin early next year and will take around two years including infilling the dry-dock basin, constructing a new quay wall and a raft of other upgrades to the yard.

A £150m upgrade to an Ayrshire marine yard has been given a boost as it is awarded planning permission, paving the way for increased offshore wind power off the UK’s west coast | Peel Ports Clydeport

The planning permission award comes shortly after Highview Power announced it would construct the world’s largest Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) facility at Hunterton.

The overall repurposing of the site is expected to attract around £3.5bn of inward investment and could create more than 5,000 jobs.

The Hunterston terminal near Fairlie was historically one of the country’s most significant industrial sites.

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.

Highview Power recently announced it is to construct the world’s largest Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) facility at Hunterston, the latest in a string of renewables projects that are either underway, or in the pipeline, at the site. | Peel Ports Clydeport

“The knock-on benefits for the local and national economies are also significant. We look forward to working with the policymaking community to create the investment conditions we need to replicate the success of Hunterston at other sites across the country.”

It is understood the project team is now working to secure the necessary marine licences to get the site operation and that consultation is “well underway”.

Work on the former Hunterston coal terminal continues - of 350 earmarked for redevelopment, 90 per cent of the site is already under option. Proposed schemes include HVDC cable manufacturing, the manufacturing of gravity base structures, power generation and storage.