“We have a clear vision and today we commit to investing a further £50m in Leith, from our own resources, to support Inch Cape and future renewables projects” - Stuart Wallace, chief executive of Forth Ports

Forth Ports is making a fresh £50 million investment in Leith after securing a “game-changing” offshore wind contract.

The UK’s third-largest port operator said the bumper private investment in infrastructure at the Port of Leith would support the delivery of the 1.1-gigawatt (GW) Inch Cape wind farm, which once completed in 2027 is expected to generate enough energy to power half of Scotland’s homes.

The move will enhance the port’s marine access, infrastructure and support vessels and includes plant and equipment that will be used to deliver the vast offshore wind project. It will also create up to 50 new and “upskilled” green energy jobs.

Stuart Wallace CEO of Forth Ports with Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes at the Port of Leith today | Jamie Simpson

Forth Ports, 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, said the agreement for Inch Cape was its largest ever offshore wind contract.

Inch Cape Offshore is behind the wind farm, which is located in the North Sea some 15 kilometres off the Angus coast on a site covering 150 square kilometres. It will feature up to 72 giant wind turbines - the tallest ever deployed in Scottish waters at a height of 274 metres - and a single offshore substation. The power it generates will be transported 85km via export cables to a new substation being built on the East Lothian coast at the site of the former Cockenzie Power Station.

The agreement with Inch Cape will utilise the port operator’s bespoke facilities and expertise at newly created renewable energy hubs at both the Port of Leith and Port of Dundee.

Stuart Wallace, Chief Executive Officer, Forth Ports with Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes on board the Tug boat Camperdown | Jamie Simpson

Stuart Wallace, chief executive of Forth Ports, said: “Inch Cape represents a very significant milestone for Forth Ports as it is the largest offshore wind contract ever to be awarded to our business. When it goes live, Inch Cape will have a significant impact on Scotland’s energy transition as the country drives to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

“Our strategy is to create and build the renewables hubs ahead of market demand and we have achieved this in Dundee and Leith. Coupled with other specialist facilities delivered by Forth Projects, this creates an unrivalled prime position for Forth Ports to deliver large offshore wind projects.

“We have a clear vision and today we commit to investing a further £50m in Leith, from our own resources, to support Inch Cape and future renewables projects,” he added.

Forth Projects - the group’s in-house logistics division - will handle Inch Cape’s “monopile” and jacket foundations at Leith. The specialist pre-assembly and marshalling of the wind farm’s turbines will be undertaken by Vestas in the Port of Dundee, which was previously announced as a hub for Inch Cape in 2022.

David Webster, commercial director at Forth Ports, which also operates Tilbury on the Thames, said: “Today’s announcement is a game-changer for Forth Ports and the Scottish offshore wind market. We have created world class renewables hubs in Dundee and Leith and solved the challenge of local content by locating at ports near the construction sites, creating high quality local green jobs and local supply chains while securing work for future generations.”

The latest announcement follows a decade of private investment, during which time Forth Ports has created the land, quayside and skills capacity to deliver large-scale offshore wind contracts.

John Hill, Inch Cape project director, said: “Through our substantial contract with Forth Ports, Inch Cape is pleased to be the catalyst for a major infrastructure investment that will not only benefit our own project but also those Scottish projects that are to follow. The utilisation of these two east coast ports - Leith and Dundee - for our offshore construction, will also facilitate significant opportunities with our tier one contractors for the wider Scottish supply chain.”

Leith and Dundee were selected following a competitive selection process due to their proximity to the project site off the Angus coast, coupled with what have been described as “first-class” storage and assembly capacity and purpose-built offshore renewables quayside facilities.

Developer Inch Cape Offshore is owned equally in a 50:50 joint venture by ESB and Red Rock Renewables. The £50m investment at Leith marks the second phase of delivery of the vision behind the 175-acre Leith Renewables Hub, which also forms part of one of the strategically located tax sites within the Forth Green Freeport.

Visiting the Port of Leith, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Investment in key sectors such as Scotland’s ports can reap rewards. This is why the Scottish Budget commits £150m to the offshore wind infrastructure and supply - to attract private investment such as this announcement from Forth Ports.

“Supported by Forth Green Freeport incentives, the Leith Renewables Hub will bring well-paid green jobs and ensure Scotland is best placed to develop a world leading renewables sector while progressing to net zero. The Scottish Government’s Green Industrial Strategy identifies how we can work better, smarter and quicker to create an investor-friendly environment and seize the many opportunities for green growth which lie ahead. This is a great example of how this has been achieved,” she added.

The Leith Renewables Hub is the re-development of a 175-acre site for offshore wind deployment and renewables manufacturing. The hub’s heavy lift renewables berth capability of up to 100 tonnes per square metre has been named the Charles Hammond berth - after Forth Ports’ long-standing former chief executive - and was completed over the summer with the capability to accommodate the largest offshore vessels in the world.

Scotland’s historic offshore wind milestone - how £50m investment landed at Port of Leith

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