Port of Aberdeen: Built for Scotland's energy future

Offshore wind presents Scotland’s ports with a generational opportunity to be drivers of economic growth and energy security.

According to Offshore Wind Scotland, Scotland now ranks among the top ten global offshore wind markets, with a pipeline of 40.5GW. The strategic role of ports in the UK’s energy future was recognised by the UK Government, which named ports a ‘foundational industry’ in its Industrial Strategy published last year.

So, is the much-vaunted ‘clean energy revolution’ a reality, or a pipe dream, for Scotland’s ports?

Wind is already an important part of the energy mix, but activity varies from port to port. For more than 50 years, Port of Aberdeen has been a key logistics hub for the North Sea oil and gas industry. Our experience, infrastructure and supply chain are critical to our role in offshore wind. We are the operations and maintenance base for two wind farms, support project activity for developments across Scottish waters, and handle around 700 offshore wind vessels every year.

The ScotWind and INTOG projects, announced in 2022 and 2023 respectively, are moving at varying paces. Moray West and Seagreen are now powering Scottish homes with renewable energy. Green Volt, Europe's first commercial-scale, floating offshore windfarm, was successful in Allocation Round 6 as a pathfinder floating wind scheme.

However, no new Scottish fixed-bottom offshore wind project has secured a Contract for Difference since 2022 and Allocation Round 5 in 2023 awarded no offshore wind contracts at all. With more than 160 floating wind turbine designs currently on the market, ports also face the complex challenge of planning upgrades without clarity on what future projects will require in terms of quayside length, depth and laydown area.

Regulation and planning must also be considered to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind. Streamlined planning and consenting processes are essential if we are to leverage the full potential of Scottish ports in the offshore wind sector. Bureaucratic hurdles and delays can quickly dampen investor confidence and deter project developers.

In Aberdeen, our recent £420 million investment in the Aberdeen South Harbour expansion positions the port as a national strategic asset, capable of supporting fixed assembly and floating integration and major component exchange. Key infrastructure projects, such as a £25 million capital dredge, will ensure we are fully ready for major offshore wind projects. This is a tangible example of where industry and government partnership is needed to turn offshore wind targets into real projects and jobs.

Developing Scotland’s offshore wind capacity and capability is not just about producing clean energy; it is about building economies, reinvigorating coastal communities, and creating jobs at scale in a growing industry.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero expects clean energy jobs to double to 860,000 by 2030. The skills, vessels and supply chain that have served oil and gas so well are exactly what is needed to deliver offshore wind at scale.

Supporting existing energy business is one of the most effective ways to accelerate the transition, drawing on decades of expertise and project management skills to deliver the vast scale of potential developments in renewables.

It is clear we are in a pivotal moment for Scottish ports. With strategic investments, forward-thinking policies, and collaborative efforts, we can be powerful enablers of the next generation of offshore wind. Without that action, ports could become bottlenecks rather than enablers resulting in key scopes of work and jobs being relocated overseas.

The path Scotland chooses will have lasting implications for its energy, economic and environmental legacy.

This article is sponsored by Port of Aberdeen.

www.portofaberdeen.co.uk