Scottish ports alliance formed to seize offshore wind opportunity

SOWPA is represented by leading offshore energy ports across Scotland, which hold expertise across the full offshore wind value chain, from manufacturing and fabrication, through to marshalling, assembly, and operations and maintenance. 

The alliance is actively developing opportunities to enhance regional competitiveness, drive efficiencies and fast track the required expertise to support the UK’s burgeoning offshore wind industry. 

This will be achieved by optimising large scale operations and addressing common and complex industry challenges through knowledge sharing and collaboration. Collectively, this will improve regional competitiveness and enhance the value proposition in support of ScotWind, INTOG and all future offshore wind leasing rounds in the UK. 

SOWPA are working together to support the delivery of recommendations in recent industry reports from Offshore Wind Industry Council, the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, as well as the Industrial Growth Partnership (IGP), all pointing to the pivotal role that ports infrastructure has in the success of Scotland and the UK in delivering our offshore wind ambitions and industrial growth. 

These plans highlight the need to develop our supply chain, including ports, as a system and support their critical role as enabling infrastructure. Our ports present early investment and industrial growth opportunities to service the burgeoning offshore sectors of Scotland, the UK and around the globe. 

Minister for Climate Action, Gillian Martin, said: “Scotland’s ports are crucial in helping unlock our huge offshore wind potential, and private investment – stimulated by up to £500 million of Scottish Government backing over the next five years – will be critical to the continued growth of the sector.

“Partners across the sector and wider supply chain have already shown a strong appetite to take a strategic and collaborative approach to delivering investment in ports, manufacturing and fabrication, and the establishment of the Offshore Wind Ports Alliance will ensure that, collectively, our world-leading infrastructure facilities are optimised to deliver our offshore renewables revolution.”

With ambitions to develop 30GW of offshore wind capacity over the next 10 years through the ScotWind leasing round, the future project pipeline will put substantial pressure on Scottish port capacity due to the significant infrastructure requirements needed to support its efficient deployment, in addition to the ambition to establish new critical manufacturing activities.

Recognising this challenge and their role as critical enablers for wider supply chain development, SOWPA’s launch, provides a clear signal to industry on their members willingness to work together with the collective ambition to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind and support the national energy transition.

Claire Mack, Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables, said: “We are delighted to support SOWPA who are bringing together our best expertise and capabilities in port operations here in Scotland. The global opportunity in offshore wind is huge. Alongside attracting investment to Scotland this alliance will give us the ability to share experiences and expertise meaning our offer to industry is truly excellent. 

“We’ve already seen multi-millions of pounds in private sector investment go towards creating world-class facilities which will provide the cornerstone to industrial growth zones in and around our ports for decades to come.” 

Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive, the British Ports Association, said: “The energy transition represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Scotland and the ports industry wants to be pivotal in its delivery. Scottish ports have a strong pedigree in supporting several offshore sectors and offshore wind is an evolving industry, to which ports will be central. 

“This new alliance will have an important role and feed into the debate about how our sector helps deliver the country’s offshore wind aspirations and how we ensure that energy developers and supply chain operators base their activities and jobs in our ports and coastal regions so that we see the all the economic benefits in this revolution.”

The new SOWPA website features up to date technical data on the port facilities, including an overview of both the existing and planned infrastructure developments. This will provide project developers and potential inward investors with essential information on the current and future landscape of Scotland’s offshore wind port capacity and capabilities.