Work is pressing ahead at both ends of a multimillion-pound north-east energy corridor.
Progress at Energetica’s northern and southern gateways continues with around 70 acres of new business space being developed at the Energy and Innovation Parks at the Bridge of Don and at the Energetica Industrial Park at Peterhead.
Energetica is a new business, leisure and residential destination built on low-carbon, highly-sustainable principles. The project covers 30 miles from the Bridge of Don, along the Aberdeenshire coast to Peterhead and as far west as Aberdeen Airport.
A major landscaping masterplan for Peterhead is being finalised and when completed, will pave the way for major aesthetic enhancements to Peterhead, Energetica’s northern gateway.
At the southern gateway, multi-million-pound improvements at the newly rebranded Energy & Innovation Parks are coming to fruition with the completion of the new Hub building and plans for a new Energy Development Centre.
It is hoped global energy companies and highly-skilled people will be attracted to the corridor, helping Aberdeen City and Shire retain and build on its existing energy credentials, expand into more sustainable energy sectors and become a global energy hub.
A total of 30% of the £750million investment potential anticipated for the corridor’s first 10 years is now under way. This includes a low-carbon technology park at Berryhill, the Aberdeen Airport Development Zone and business park development, the Energetica industry park at Peterhead and a major competition golf course at Balmedie.
Combined this represents more than £250million and has the potential to create hundreds of new jobs. This is in addition to the £34million of developments around Peterhead port and the £12million investment in the newly-branded Innovation and Energy Parks at the Bridge of Don.
The business parks will help attract organisations looking to invest in high-quality, low-emission, energy-efficient buildings in the three main development areas, totalling around 590 acres.
Energetica project director Sara Budge said: “These investments underline the project’s potential to significantly grow the regional and Scottish economies and position Aberdeen City and Shire as the home of the next age of energy.
“The North Sea may be a mature province but fields are still being developed and will produce for many more years to come. However, we are moving into the next age of energy which will widen the current market opportunities to include enhanced oil and gas recovery, decommissioning, the use of depleted reservoirs for CO2 storage and offshore renewables, where subsea oil and gas excellence in Aberdeen City and Shire can be leveraged to fully exploit the potential.”
Energetica will link a string of highly-attractive and distinct business and residential developments within the corridor, including Trump International Golf Links. New transport links will be created, including a unifying green network of coastal and inland footpaths and cycleways.
Work is under way to join a 91-mile section of cliff-top, beach and coastal paths in the north-east of Scotland for the first time. Existing pathways between St Cyrus in the south and Logie Head, just east of Cullen, in the north, are being linked as part of the project.
Similar energy corridors exist in Houston, Texas, and Alberta, Canada.
More than 300 companies are based at the Houston site. Around 75,000 people are employed in the zone which is also home to BP’s United States headquarters.
The Alberta Energy Corridor is located on a key transportation route between the area’s oil sands and Edmonton’s refinery row. The corridor provides a growing industrial and commercial base for businesses involved directly and indirectly in oil and gas, construction, forestry and traditional agriculture, with new developments in alternative energy.