Port of Aberdeen welcomed the Board of Great British Energy (GBE), chaired by Juergen Maier, highlighting its important role in delivering the UK Government’s missions of economic growth, clean power, and net zero.
Discussions centred on the need to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind while continuing to support the UK’s homegrown oil and gas sector. Today, renewables represent just 1% of the port’s revenue – despite handling around 700 vessels annually – with more than 50% generated from oil and gas.
Port of Aberdeen outlined ambitious plans to become an international hub for offshore wind, including:
- Deepening South Harbour for offshore wind assembly, integration, and marshalling
- Installing a dedicated ring-crane for tow-in tow-out major component exchange
- Redeveloping the Regent Centre and investing in warehousing for offshore wind operation and maintenance
These developments build on the port’s £420 million investment in Aberdeen South Harbour, which is already generating significant new business for the port and North East supply chain.
The visit followed the publication of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s Statement of Strategic Priorities for GBE. This includes investing in the supply chain projects needed to unlock clean energy deployment and support delivery of the Industrial Strategy, which recognises ports as a ‘foundational industry’.
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Bob Sanguinetti DL, CEO, Port of Aberdeen, said: “We welcomed the opportunity to engage with GBE’s Board and stressed the importance of ramping up renewables while continuing to support our homegrown oil and gas industry. This must be a conversation of and, not or.
“Offshore wind is the big opportunity on the horizon and we’re advancing projects that will position Aberdeen to capitalise on this. However, a concerted effort is needed to accelerate deployment if we’re to realise our full potential.”
Juergen Maier, Chair, Great British Energy, said: “With the right policy and the right financial backing, we’re seeing how renewable energy jobs can be created. According to the CBI there are now 273,000 jobs directly in the green economy, with 100,000 of these in Scotland. The skills we need to accelerate the rollout of offshore wind all currently sit within O&G. This isn’t about clean and dirty energy, this is about highly skilled workers being deployed onto secure projects, with ports like Aberdeen primed and ready to deliver that growth.”
