Highland port’s £42m expansion ‘could support 1500 jobs’
CONSTRUCTION work will start next week on a £42.2m expansion project which will pave the way for Kishorn Port to play a pivotal role in delivery of offshore wind projects.
The major development will see the size of the Wester Ross port’s dry dock increased and land reclaimed to create capacity for the manufacture of concrete floating offshore wind foundations.
Once complete, the expanded facilities are forecast to attract projects with the potential to support up to 1500 jobs.
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Investment of up to £24m in the project by regional development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) was announced by Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, last week.
Kishorn Port Limited (KPL) director, Alasdair Ferguson, said: “With a quarry on-site, Kishorn Port is ideally suited for manufacturing of concrete floating offshore wind sub-structures.
“This Phase 1a expansion project will enable us to provide full integration, with laydown, marshalling and assembly in the long-term.
“The development opens Kishorn to new market opportunities and we are receiving strong expressions of interest to utilise the enlarged dry dock area, along with the additional laydown space, for floating offshore and decommissioning projects. As well as Scotland, our key target markets are the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea.”
Ferguson added: “Importantly, this project will provide the catalyst for the support and creation of jobs within Wester Ross and the wider Highlands, benefiting communities across the area.
“This is another very significant milestone in the continuing development of Kishorn Port and we are grateful to Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Government for their support.”
Construction work on the Phase 1a project is scheduled to start on June 16, creating 84 jobs for up to 18 months.
The principal contractor for the project is RJ McLeod, based in Scotland, with offices in Dingwall and a long-established track record in the Highlands. Supporting services are also being delivered by Scottish firms: marine consulting civil engineers, Wallace Stone; environmental consultants, Affric, and; project management consultants, Leapmoor.
With one of Europe’s largest dry docks, Kishorn Port Ltd (KPL), on the north-west coast of the Scottish Highlands, provides services for decommissioning, oil and gas, floating offshore wind, drilling life extensions and upgrades and renewables.
KPL has the facilities for the manufacture and assembly of offshore floating wind structures with the help of its on-site quarry and concrete batching plant. It says it is “situated at the forefront of the energy transition”.
