Ardersier Port owner Haventus has received a £100 million joint credit facility from the Scottish National Investment Bank and UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB).
The £100 million is made up of two donations of £50 million from the Scottish National Investment Bank and UKIB.
The energy transition facilities provider has said that the funding will go towards a “nationally significant” infrastructure facility to support industrial-scale deployment of fixed and floating offshore wind.
Haventus has taken a final investment decision and construction has now begun on the site, which includes the development of a new 650-metre quay wall and associated quayside.
It will be the largest dedicated offshore wind deployment port facility in Scotland, capable of hosting and supporting gigawatt scale projects.
The financing follows a £300 million capital commitment announced in 2023 by Quantum Capital Group, when Haventus began the redevelopment of Ardersier Port.
© Supplied by HaventusHaventus chief executive, Lewis Gillies, said: “We are delighted to have secured the support of the two banks as important partners in this nationally significant project.
“With their support, and that of Quantum, Ardersier Port is poised to become a critical offshore wind hub and an important job creator and enabler. It will play a crucial role in helping the country meet its net zero ambitions.”
“With work now underway on site, we aim to have the facility open and operational in the second half of next year.
“This progress has been achieved in a very short period, due in large measure to the constructive engagement we have had with the Highland Council, our consenting agencies and regulators and government departments.”
‘Huge confidence in this new facility’ shown by the banks
Located near Inverness, the port was used in the 70s and 80s for the construction of oil and gas platforms and last year saw investment to make it a leading wind manufacturing site.
The original facility closed its doors in 2001.
Ardersier seeks to captialise on the 28GW ScotWind projects and the UK’s wider ambition of 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.
Redevelopment of the unused 450 acre area will provide “vital capacity” for North Sea offshore wind and oil and gas decommissioning “which are in short supply,” bosses said last year.
First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney said: “Scotland’s growing offshore wind capabilities presents an era-defining opportunity – not only to achieve a just transition to net zero, but to harness the skills which lie across our energy sector and wider supply chain to create thousands of green jobs and transform our regional and national economies.
“The Ardersier Port redevelopment, which is central to the ambitions of the ground-breaking Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, exemplifies this opportunity.
“This show of support from both banks demonstrates the huge confidence in this new facility and its role in helping deliver a fairer, greener future for everyone.”
Located in the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF), a Special Tax Site, those manufacturing offshore wind components at Ardersier Port will be able to take advantage of the area’s incentives.
ICFGF chief executive, Calum MacPherson said last month that the tax incentives would make the Scottish Highlands a focus of attention from the renewable energy industry, helping bring transformational and lasting benefits to the region.
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