Wind Energy – Ardersier Port
A US private equity fund has committed £300mn to help redevelop the Ardersier port near Inverness as a site for the rollout of North Sea wind power, marking a significant investment in the Scottish supply chain for renewable energy.
The Ardersier Port’s McDermott construction yard was key to the development of the North Sea oil and gas sector in the 1970s and 1980s but shut over 20 years ago as demand for new platforms dried up.
But the UK’s accelerating push into offshore wind aims to give the 450-acre site new life, with the investment designed to transform it for the deployment of turbines and the decommissioning of old oil and gas assets.
Quantum Energy Partners will make a £300mn equity investment in the port and has appointed former BP executive Lewis Gillies as chief executive of the port’s new parent company, Haventus.
