New Highland Council leader backs bid for Cromarty Green Freeport as new study claims it would create 'thousands of jobs and revolutionise the Highland economy'
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Highland Council’s newly elected leader Raymond Bremner has welcomed the announcement that thousands of jobs would be created by an Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport.
He was responding to the initial research published today by Opportunity Cromarty Firth and Biggar Economics which said a Freeport would stimulate manufacturing, create thousands of jobs, and revolutionise the Highland economy.
The report also predicts this would positively impact the UK and Scottish manufacturing pipeline.
Highland Council is a consortium partner in the Opportunity Cromarty Firth Bid.
Councillor Bremner said: “This is evidence that a successful bid for a Green Freeport located in Highland would be a complete game-changer for the area, and for Scotland in delivering energy security for the UK.
“Cromarty Firth is the only location in Scotland able to deliver on the ambitions for offshore wind of the magnitude required in the UK Energy Security Strategy.
“We are more than ready in Highland to capitalise on such an opportunity. Not only do we have the right geographical and physical conditions, we are developing and improving our infrastructure and we have the ambition to lead the way in reducing carbon emissions.
“We now also have the support and backing of global leaders in the industry.”
He added: “The promise of the Inverness and Highland City-Region deal was to set the scene for levering in additional hundreds of millions in private investment. A successful Cromarty Firth bid would certainly deliver on this promise.”
