Scots ‘Green Freeports’ announced

GEOGRAPHICAL areas in the vicinity of Inverness and Edinburgh have been named winners of a bidding process, to establish so-called ‘Green Freeports’ in Scotland.

Bids from consortia representing the Inverness and Cromarty Firth and Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth have been chosen to establish the freeports, which will be eligible for tax incentives and government funds (beginning with up to £52m), to boost local investment and jobs.

It means that bids from Glasgow, Aberdeen and Orkney losing out. The winners were chosen jointly by the UK and Scottish governments.

The ‘green’ element concerns a requirement (at the insistence of the Scottish Government) that applicants “demonstrate how they would contribute towards a ‘just transition’ to net zero emissions by 2045 and create new, green jobs”. Bids were “also required to set out how they would support high-quality employment opportunities with fair work conditions at their core”.

Says the Scottish Government, here‘: “The Forth Green Freeport bid aspires to deliver up to an additional 50,000 jobs across the UK, generate £6 billion in investment and contribute over £4 billion in GVA across sites in Grangemouth, Rosyth, Leith, Burntisland and Edinburgh Airport. Its activities will focus on renewables, advanced manufacturing, alternative fuels, carbon capture utilisation and storage, shipbuilding, logistics and the creative industries. 

“The Inverness and Cromarty Firth bid aims to build a world-beating floating offshore wind manufacturing sector, with sites in the Cromarty Firth, Invergordon, Nigg, and Inverness. It expects to create up to 25,000 new jobs and attract £2.6 billion in inward investment. In addition to offshore wind manufacturing, it will focus on green hydrogen and creating a new innovation cluster.”

Pictured: Edinburgh’s Forth Ports, Picture credit: Place Design Scotland