Planning granted for Ayrshire renewables hub

Peel Ports Clydeport has secured permission for a £150m redevelopment of the Hunterston marine yard in Ayrshire.

The former coal terminal at Hunterston is being prepared for renewables infrastructure.

The redevelopment works, which are expected to start in early 2025 and take two years, will include infilling the dry-dock basin and the construction of a new quay wall.

Highview Power recently announced plans to build the world’s largest liquid air energy storage (LAES) facility at Hunterston, one of a string of renewables projects that are either under way or planned at the site. Others include HVDC cable manufacturing and the UK’s first hub for the manufacturing of gravity base structures for offshore wind turbines.

The overall redevelopment of Hunterston, across 350 acres, is expected to attract £3.5bn in inward investment and create over 5,000 jobs.

Lewis McIntyre, managing director of port services at Peel Ports Group, said: “Hunterston is set to become a major facilitator of the UK energy transition and this decision is a big step forward in making that happen. It also proves that the west coast is going to play a huge role in renewables.

“There will be no energy transition without ports and harnessing the potential of sites like Hunterston is key to achieving the UK’s net-zero goals. The knock-on benefits for the local and national economies are also significant. We look forward to working with the policymaking community to create the investment conditions we need to replicate the success of Hunterston at other sites across the country.”

Having secured planning permission, the final hurdle facing the redevelopment is securing the necessary marine licences, for which consultation is under way.