Subsea cable manufacturer XLCC will base its sales and project delivery headquarters at the HALO Enterprise and Innovation Centre Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.
The new partnership with HALO Kilmarnock could bring more than 300 high-quality jobs to the town.
XLCC is developing the UK’s first high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) cable factory in Hunterston, Ayrshire, creating 1,200 jobs (including the 300 in Kilmarnock) as part of the £1.4 billion project.
The partners will also explore the creation of a green economy sustainability centre, which will include a green accelerator and education hub for SME businesses and entrepreneurs.
Founder and executive chair of HALO Kilmarnock Dr Marie Macklin said: “XLCC and HALO Kilmarnock have a successful track record of working together since 2023 when XLCC chose HALO as the base for its apprentices before moving to its training factory in Irvine in 2024, for which I performed the official opening.
“This initiative puts us at the forefront of driving new, just transition opportunities for the former industrial heartlands of Ayrshire. I look forward to working with XLCC and our key stakeholders, including private sector partners, Scottish Enterprise, East Ayrshire Council, the UK and Scottish governments, to deliver for all in our communities at pace.”
XLCC won planning permission in 2022 to develop the factory, which will be based on a disused Peel Ports coal yard near the site of the Hunterston B nuclear power plant.
It secured its first factor order to supply Xlinks with one of the longest subsea cables in the world, part of a link between a massive 3.6GW solar farm in Morocco and the Alverdiscott substation in North Devon.
In December, Xlinks chief executive James Humfrey told Energy Voice that the Morocco-UK Power Project could help balance the UK grid and improve resiliency when it launches in the early 2030s.
XLCC won £20 million of investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) this year to develop its Ayrshire HVDC cable factory.
It also secured a previous £20m from the then UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) and £9m from the SNIB’s counterpart agency, Scottish Enterprise.
The £100m HALO regeneration project is set within the former 28 acre Johnnie Walker bottling plant and is at the forefront of creating an innovative and sustainable economy.
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