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Work starts on Ardersier Port rejuvenation

By: Tom Russell 02/12/2021 BW Ideol

General Ports Windfarms

Work has kicked off on a £20 million capital dredge project to reopen Ardersier Port. At over 400 acres (162ha) and with more than a kilometre of quayside, Ardersier is among the largest brownfield ports in the UK.

The new owners are transforming Ardersier Port into a fully circular Energy Transition Facility – with the aim of recycling the oil rigs of the past to make foundations for future fleets of floating offshore wind farms.
The £20 million programme includes a nine-month ‘capital dredge’ – removing 2.5 million cubic metres of sand (equivalent to 1000 Olympic swimming pools) – which will open up the massive port once more.

Over the next five years, the port’s owners aim to develop an oil rig decommissioning facility, a waste from energy recovery facility designed specifically to deal with special wastes, a £300 million green steel plant, powered by offshore wind and energy from waste and a concrete production plant utilising dredged sand from the port alongside by-products from the steel plant and energy from waste facility. Furthermore, they seek to set up a dedicated floating wind hub for concrete floating wind foundation manufacturing.

Ardersier Port has an agreement with floating wind developer BW Ideol, guaranteeing them exclusive access to the port for the manufacture of their concrete floating wind foundations.

BW Ideol’s CEO, Paul de la Gueriviere, said: “The lack of large infrastructure is a bottle neck to deliver the number of floating foundations required for the UK market’s ambitious development plans, both in terms of local content and the production rate expected. Ardersier Port is a unique facility to unlock these constraints. “In comparison to steel foundations, floating wind offers a unique opportunity to combine both price competitiveness and local manufacturing, thanks to BW Ideol’s unique concrete floater solution. As an early mover in the market, we have engaged with the port’s owners for several years, sharing a joint vision to create a circular and sustainable local supply chain. “By securing exclusive access to Ardersier Port, BW Ideol is reaffirming its commitment to manufacture its floating foundations locally, maximizing the benefit for Scotland and the rest of UK, without conditions.”

For more information on floating offshore wind farms worldwide, click here.

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Work starts on Ardersier Port rejuvenation

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