The plans for Nigg Bay harbour development at Aberdeen have been included in the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework (NPF3), published today.
The document, which sets out the government’s development priorities for the next 20-30 years, has included Nigg among 14 developments considered to be of “strategic significance” to Scotland’s future.
Aberdeen Harbour Board hopes the expansion of its facilities to Nigg will address the rising demand from oil and gas vessels as well as boost the region’s tourist economy by attracting bigger cruise ships to the north east.
“Aberdeen Harbour is a nationally-important facility which supports the oil and gas sector, provides international and lifeline connections and makes a significant contribution to the wider economy of the North East,” the NPF3 document said.
“Current constraints will increasingly limit the ability of the harbour to provide crucial services and limit opportunities for business growth at this nationally important facility.
“Expansion of the harbour is required to address current capacity constraints, and to consolidate and expand its role.”
A study conducted in December 2013 suggested the Nigg development could increase the economic impact of port-related activities from £1.5billion per year at present to £2billion in 20 years’ time.
It also concluded that lack of development action could result in a £1.1billion loss to the economy.
“Nigg Bay offers the greatest scope for a new deep-water facility for the region, and would provide our customers with the benefits of increased berthing certainty and the ability to accommodate larger vessels. We believe that this combination offers port users significant cost-capping opportunities for many years to come,” said Colin Parker, Aberdeen Harbour Board’s chief executive.
“The important areas of focus for the project at present include the ongoing Environmental Impact Assessment and finalising the optimum design.
“It is clear from today’s announcement that the Scottish Government believes that the long-term future and prosperity of the port is important to Scotland as a whole, and so it is our responsibility to develop a robust design and business case before the decision can be made to commit to a project of this scale.”
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