Haventus announces 200-acres expansion plans for Ardersier Port
The owners of Ardersier Port have confirmed that plans are underway to expand the site by almost 200 acres.
Haventus, the owner of Ardersier Energy Transition Facility, has agreed options to acquire land adjacent to the site.
The company has confirmed the submission of a scoping report for the proposed port extension, saying they will engage with Highland Council, key agencies and local stakeholders prior to bringing forward formal applications.
This comes after last week’s announcement that the company had secured a major new client in the form of offshore wind power developer Cerulean Winds.
Should the company gain the necessary approvals, they said the additional land would enhance the site’s potential and capability as a location for the manufacturing, assembly and storage of components for offshore renewables, a growth industry for the Highlands and Scotland and a key driver of high-quality employment.
Lewis Gillies, Haventus CEO said: “Expansion of the site would represent a positive step forward in our vision for the development of Ardersier Energy Transition Facility.
“The scale of offshore wind components means that deployment requires very large areas of land, and the opportunity to add to the site’s acreage greatly enhances the potential for our site and the wider Green Freeport area to further develop a global hub in the Highlands for offshore renewables engineering, manufacturing and assembly, and secure a multi-decade employment opportunity for the region.
“We look forward to working with The Highland Council, the local community and key agencies to turn this into a reality, and as with any plans for our site, we will always look to take forward development with sensitivity towards the environment, our local communities, and in line with the views of our stakeholders.”
Securing the option agreements is an important milestone in Haventus’ strategy to transform Ardersier Energy Transition Facility into one of Europe’s leading facilities for offshore wind deployment, and would expand the developable land acreage of the site to around 500 acres.
Ardersier Energy Transition Facility is supposed to open later this year.
