High voltage cable factory plan approved

The new cable factory would be built next to the Nigg Energy Park

Plans for a high voltage cable factory - which could create 170 jobs - have been approved by councillors.

Japanese company Sumitomo Electric is behind the proposed development at Nigg in Easter Ross.

The manufacturing facility would be built to meet demand for cables to connect offshore windfarms to the National Grid.

Highland Council's north planning applications committee backed the project at a meeting on Wednesday.

Global Energy Group, which runs the neighbouring Nigg Energy Park, is acting as the facilitator on behalf of Sumitomo.

If the development is approved it would be one of the first projects to emerge under the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport initiative.