Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport opens HQ in Highland capital

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Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF) has opened headquarters in the Highland capital.

The offices, at the city’s Green House business centre, will be the focal point for the company’s activities as detailed plans for the new Green Freeport continue to be developed.

The ICFGF team is currently finalising an outline business case, which is due to be submitted to the Scottish and UK governments in the coming weeks.

ICFGF was established as a company earlier this year, following the announcement by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in January that Inverness and the Cromarty Firth would be the location of one of two Green Freeports in Scotland.

Calum MacPherson, Chief Executive of ICFGF, said: “Setting up a head office is another important step as we work towards the establishment of the Green Freeport.

“While our offices at the Green House are now the focal point of our activities, a great deal of work is being carried out by the companies and organisations across the area that are involved in delivering this transformational project.

“We are continuing to make steady progress, with everyone involved fully focussed on the lasting benefits it can bring to the economy of the Highlands and Scotland.”

ICFGF is backed by the Port of Cromarty Firth, Global Energy Group, Port of Inverness and Ardersier Port owners, Haventus, alongside The Highland Council, UHI and more than 30 regional, national and international businesses, public sector organisations and academic bodies.

Calum MacPherson, Chief Executive, Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport. Picture credit: Ewen Weatherspoon.

Recruitment for Office Manager and PowerHouse Project Manager Underway

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The Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport are currently recruiting two new and exciting roles to join our growing team and support the initiative to create green energy and bring jobs to the region.

Office Manager

The Office Manager will play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth day-to-day operations of the ICFGF office while also complete Executive Assistant duties for the CEO in their various tasks and responsibilities. The successful candidate will be the backbone of the ICFGF office, responsible for maintaining a productive and organised work environment.

The full job description can be accessed here: ICFGF OFFICE MANAGER.

If you are interested in applying for the Office Manager position, please contact Kim, Kayleigh or Laura at HR Dept Highlands on [email protected] or call 01463 548129.

PowerHouse Project Manager

The PowerHouse is the skills development and research innovation vehicle of Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Ltd focusing on offshore wind and green hydrogen. The PowerHouse works with the offshore wind and green hydrogen industries to support the rapid expansion in renewable projects off Scotland’s shores and the Project Manager is responsible for managing and growing this skills development, collaborative R&D, knowledge exchange and STEM outreach hub. The Project Manager coordinates the PowerHouse steering group which is made up of representation from industry, public sector, UHI and other HEIs and research institutions.

The full job description can be accessed here: POWERHOUSE PROJECT MANAGER.

If you are interested in applying for the PowerHouse Project Manager position, please contact Kim, Kayleigh or Laura at HR Dept Highlands on [email protected] or call 01463 548129.

Moray West Offshore Wind Farm selects Port of Nigg for marshalling foundation transition pieces

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The Port of Nigg in the Cromarty Firth, Scotland, owned and operated by Global Energy Group (GEG), has been selected by Moray West as the location for marshalling of all 62 transition pieces (TPs) prior to installation as part of the Moray West offshore wind farm.  Ocean Winds, the 50:50 joint venture between ENGIE and EDP Renewables, is developing the Moray West project. 

Moray West has signed an agreement with GEG to use the port for this scope. This is in addition to the wind turbine marshalling and pre-assembly work that Siemens Gamesa have already announced for Nigg, plus the fabrication of J-tube frames as key elements of the foundation structures. The TPs will start to arrive at the Port of Nigg later in 2023 with installation starting shortly afterwards and due for completion in 2024.

The agreement to marshal components for Moray West from the Port of Nigg continues the pipeline of offshore wind projects that have used the facility since 2016, cementing the ports position as a leading offshore renewables hub. The facility has benefitted from over £120m investment from GEG and is included in the recently awarded Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport.

Moray West Project Director, Pete Geddes, said:

“We are delighted to have signed an agreement that widens the project’s use of the Port of Nigg to include the storage and marshalling of transition pieces.  The expanded facilities at the port, together with a strong track record supporting offshore wind projects in the Moray Firth and further afield in Scotland, give us confidence in using Nigg again. 

Having suitable facilities to secure the range of work on Moray West has underlined the value of Global Energy Group’s earlier investments in the port.  Through the ‘Caledonia’ project, Ocean Winds will make significant early investments to drive the next steps necessary to build capability and capacity in Scottish ports and the wider supply chain.”

Iain Sinclair, Executive Director at Global Energy Group said:

“We are delighted the Port of Nigg has been chosen to support the Moray West project and look forward to welcoming Ocean Winds back to our facility. Having previously supported the Ocean Winds team on their Moray East project, this contract, is a great endorsement of our close working relationship, the benefits of continuity and our ability to deliver offshore wind projects of scale. I am proud of the successful track record we have built in marshalling and installation campaigns for offshore wind, totalling over 2.6GW of assets handled through the Port to date. Our team continue to proactively develop the necessary expertise and experience through close cooperation and knowledge share, with our supply chain partners positioning the port as Scotland’s offshore renewables superhub.

“Our location and expansive laydown area, coupled with heavy load bearing capacity, deep-water quayside, and on-site support services, makes the Port of Nigg the offshore wind storage and marshalling enabler of choice. We are committed to further capital investment in the development of the necessary infrastructure, facilities, and land around the site to support increases in demand that is expected in the future from the likes of our partners at Ocean Winds.”