Scots form energy ports portal

The Scottish Energy Ports Capability Directory has been launched to provide up to date technical information on active marine energy industry ports covering the oil and gas, decommissioning, subsea and renewable sectors.

The portal, launched on November 20, 2017, provides businesses investing in Scotland with a searchable database allowing the users to examine and compare ports using a range of attributes, and browse for in-depth information for individual ports, according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

The project has been led by a partnership of HIE, Scottish Enterprise, and the British Ports Association (BPA), building on work initially undertaken for the 2015 All Energy event.

The capability directory features 26 sites across Scotland with interests spanning the entire offshore energy sector, from marine renewables and offshore wind to oil and gas and decommissioning.

The portal is said to provide accurate and updated port information and it is hosted and managed by the BPA.

Gavin MacKay, Head of Energy Industries at HIE, said: “We already have some world class capabilities in and around our ports and harbors, enabling world leading offshore energy projects such as the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm and the MeyGen Tidal Array. This capability directory will further demonstrate the quality port and harbor sites in Scotland, helping to attract and accelerate investment opportunities.”

Allan McQuade, Business Infrastructure Director at Scottish Enterprise, added: “Scotland’s ports and harbors are fundamentally important to the success of our energy sector. Looking ahead, they will continue to play an instrumental role in helping Scotland capture an even bigger slice of the oil and gas, subsea, renewables and decommissioning markets.

“By developing this new portal in partnership with HIE and the BPA we aim to provide a one-stop-shop of Scotland’s port and harbor strengths and capabilities to help maximize growth opportunities and encourage new investment and jobs in Scotland.”

Participation in this directory is free, open to all Scottish ports, and can be accessed via dedicated website.