Benefits for Ross-shire highlighted in renewables industry report as sector gears up for major expansion by 2030
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Businesses with strong Ross-shire links are among more than 30 highlighted in a new report as set to benefit from a massive expansion in Scotland's renewables energy sector.
Industry body Scottish Renewables Supply Chain Impact Statement has been expanded for 2021 to include suppliers working across all renewable technologies including offshore and onshore wind, hydro, wave and tidal as well as green hydrogen and low-carbon heat.
With wind energy alone pushing ambitious targets which could see its capacity increase by 231 per cent by 2030, “the potential future pipeline in Scotland has never been stronger”, Scottish Renewables’ chief executive Claire Mack has said.
The third edition of the annual Supply Chain Impact Statement spotlights 32 firms and organisations working across Scotland’s renewable energy industry, which employs 22,660 people.
These include Inverness-headquartered Global Energy Group, which already supports two of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farms, Moray East and Seagreen, from its Port of Nigg facility in Easter Ross.
Port of Nigg has also been earmarked for UK’s largest wind farm tower manufacturing facility.
Global Energy Group is a member of Opportunity Cromarty Firth (OCF), which is also among the 32 organisations highlighted in the report.
Bringing together members from the public and private sector as well as academia to create strategic renewable energy hub based around the Firth and press its claim to become one of Scotland's two new green free ports, its other members include Port of Cromarty Firth, the Port of Inverness, Highland Council, the University of the Highlands and Islands, Semco Marine and Johnston Carmichael.
The Supply Chain Impact Statement comments: "One of OCF’s first moves was launching The PowerHouse, a centre of excellence in applied R&D within the fields of floating offshore wind and green hydrogen. The centre will also act as a specialist educational hub to provide training for school children, students and workers interested in renewable energy.
"Another key OCF focus is green hydrogen. This led to the establishment of the North of Scotland Hydrogen Programme, a collaboration aiming to create a green hydrogen hub to provide a viable, carbon-free fuel for regional industries, as well as storing and transporting it to other locations within Scotland, the UK and abroad."
Also making the list is Dingwall's RJ McLeod, a longstanding Scottish civil engineering and building contractor which has built more than 100 Scottish onshore wind farm projects.
The report states: "Renewable energy construction has greatly contributed to providing the work required to allow RJ McLeod to maintain and invest in its workforce in Scotland, and that of its local supply chain. It has also been able to provide opportunities for individuals to progress through the company as well as continuing to recruit several engineering graduates and apprentices year on year."
Looking further west, the report also describes Kishorn Port and Dry Dock as having huge potential to support the
manufacturing, laydown and assembly of offshore wind and marine energy projects, especially after Highland Council awarded planning permission to expand the dry dock to accommodate vessels of up to 250 metres in length, and for the reclamation of foreshore ground.
Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “Renewable energy projects across Scotland deliver many benefits to our urban, rural and island communities, providing low-carbon heat, transport and electricity as well as creating employment opportunities for the people who live there.
“Scottish Renewables’ Supply Chain Impact report highlights the positive impact renewables projects can have and these case studies show that the strength of Scottish suppliers is being recognised not only in the Scottish market but globally.
“Both the onshore and offshore wind sectors, which provide so much of the economic benefit highlighted in this report, are pushing hard for huge growth, including from the 17 new offshore projects which came through the recent ScotWind Leasing round.
“That means the potential future pipeline of renewable energy projects in Scotland has never been stronger, and the time is now for both governments to work with industry to build on the successes highlighted in this statement by investing in innovation, infrastructure and technology to support supply chain development to make the most of these opportunities.
“Our native supply chain already boasts innovative start-ups and evolving established organisations which are working to create unique added value for green energy projects while also driving economic activity here in Scotland. The companies celebrated in the document demonstrate only a small proportion of the complex supplier network required to deploy net-zero technologies and there is increasing opportunity on the horizon for further supply chain growth.”
Support for the Impact Statement comes from headline sponsor SSE Renewables and sponsors EDF Renewables, Inch Cape Offshore Limited and Mainstream Renewable Power.
Paul Cooley, director of capital projects at SSE Renewables, said: “SSE Renewables is delighted to be Headline Sponsor of Scottish Renewables’ annual Supply Chain Impact Statement. This important report highlights not just the huge value our industry is currently generating for Scotland’s economy, but also the opportunity which lies ahead if we can maximise the economic benefits from the growth of renewables in Scotland over the next decade.
“Quite rightly there will continue to be a focus on the potential benefits which the growth of offshore wind can deliver and SSE Renewables has recently put its money where its mouth is by announcing our intention to invest £15 million directly in the proposed tower factory at Nigg.
“However, this report also rightly highlights Scotland’s circular economy and the strength of the supply chain across the technology spectrum including onshore wind and hydro power. As our industry continues to mature it will be increasingly important that we highlight the huge value that is available, not just through new project delivery but also from extracting maximum value from our existing projects as we invest in onshore wind and hydro life extension and repowering.”
Supply chain data for the document was provided by the Scottish Enterprise and Xodus Group Offshore Wind Cluster Builder.
Andy McDonald, head of low-carbon transition at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Scotland has huge supply chain capabilities across renewables and the wider energy industry deftly illustrated in the latest Supply Chain Impact Report from Scottish Renewables. Scottish Enterprise supported this report with data from last year’s Scottish Offshore Wind Supply Chain Survey led by Xodus Group that showcased the expertise that exists across Scotland.
“The recent ScotWind Leasing round highlights the prospects for Scottish businesses and we will continue to support Scottish companies to capitalise on their expertise and seize such opportunities to secure offshore wind work and help meet global net-zero goals through low-carbon energy solutions.”
