Top Highland businessman concerned politics could cloud which parts of Scotland get Green Freeports as those behind the local bid Opportunity Cromarty Firth face an anxious wait for an announcement that is expected later this month
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The UK political environment is what concerns Global Energy Group boss Roy MacGregor when it comes to which bids are successful, with billions of pounds at stake for the Highland economy.
Cromarty Firth, including Inverness; Aberdeen/Peterhead; Clyde, including Glasgow and North Lanarkshire; Firth of Forth, including Leith/Edinburgh, Grangemouth and Rosyth and Orkney are all in the race for Green Freeport status.
If it is awarded to the Cromarty Firth then it is expected to have a transformative effect, with billions of pounds potentially up for grabs through offshore renewables that could net 20,000 jobs.
But Mr MacGregor says “votes” could determine who gets what when the UK and Scottish governments meet to decide the beneficiary of what many say is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
He believes the Opportunity Cromarty Firth (OCF) bid is by far the best and is totally confident that it will rejuvenate the local economy but admits to worries about the decision-making process.
A Green Freeport would see operators and businesses benefit from a free trade zone with a package of tax incentives to deliver four key policy objectives which would secure employment and investment for the next two decades.
But OCF faces stiff competition for one of the two Scottish freeport designations up for grabs, with the winners expected to decided by both Conservative and SNP ministers later this month – at a time of heightened political tensions that could disadvantage the north.
That, says Mr MacGregor, means “we need to fight for the Highlands” amid concerns that party rivalries could see OCF lose out, leaving the region with a “bleak” economic outlook.
“We need manufacturing jobs in the Highlands,” he said.
“It is very much about diversifying the economy, well-paid manufacturing jobs that have a supply chain spin-off – so it is not just the direct jobs but the indirect jobs too.
“The Cromarty Firth bid is one of the best and strongest because few if any industrial areas have done more to transform themselves from oil and gas to renewables. We are ahead of the pack.
“But we are also in a political environment, it is about votes – that is a concern. There are five bids, naturally every MP or MSP will want their own area to get it – we don’t have a lot of MPs so there is the pressure of however many MPs in Glasgow compared to three in the Highlands.”
If OCF is overlooked by the politicians the downside would be dire he believes: “Economically, if we didn’t get it, it would be pretty devastating.
“The future would be considerably bleaker economically for the Highlands if we don’t get the Green Freeport.”
We asked local Highland MSPs if they backed the OCF bid and, if so, what they have done to push it forward. Of those asked to comment, only the Greens MSP Ariane Burgess refused to comment.
Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing said there is no better place for a Green Freeport: “The Highlands is the engine room of green energy – in wind offshore and on tidal, hydro, pump storage, and we can have a major role in the newer industries in hydrogen and carbon capture transportation and storage. So the case for Cromarty Firth is very strong and I’m delighted to support it.”
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross MSP Maree Todd said the bid has her full support and she has “signed a cross-party letter to that effect” adding it would be great not just for the Highlands but “a real opportunity for Scotland.”
Conservative MSP Edward Mountain said: “A free trade zone within the Highlands would be transformational for the region, creating jobs and attracting investment for years to come.”
The Highlands must not be left playing second fiddle to the central belt, according to Labour MSP Rhoda Grant: “Too often we lose out to the central belt and we must ensure that does not happen because this bid will give young people in the Highlands the chance to access high quality employment close to home, it will build the local economy and its benefits will radiate throughout the Highlands and beyond.”
