Port of Dundee picked as assembly base for Inch Cape wind farm

The company has reserved the entire renewables hub at the port for a year

The Port of Dundee has been selected as the pre-assembly base for Scotland's largest offshore wind project.

Up to 72 turbines will be installed 15km (9.3 miles) off the Angus coast at the Inch Cape wind farm when it is commissioned later this decade.

The 1.1GW project is a joint venture between Red Rock Power Limited and Irish energy utility ESB.

Turbine blades, towers and nacelles - which house the generators - will be pre-assembled at the port.

Inch Cape Offshore Wind Limited said the Port of Dundee's renewables hub was chosen because of its proximity to the project site, along with its "unrivalled storage" and capacity.

The offshore wind project will be Scotland's largest single source of renewable power when built, according to the company. Planning consent has been granted for turbines up to 291m (955ft) high.

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The company has reserved the entire renewables hub at the port from March 2025 to March 2026, with about 50 staff expected to be on site over that time.

Project director Adam Ezzamel said the company was "delighted" to be working with the Port of Dundee.

"The port is ideally sited for our construction operation and offers us the area we require for the number - and sheer scale - of the turbines we will be deploying," he said.

"Offshore construction is a specialist area and the Port of Dundee offers us a management team with the experience and capability to deal with the logistical challenges that have to be managed during our construction phase.

"After successfully securing a Contract for Difference earlier this summer, this latest contract award is another important step towards us delivering the project - and generating low cost, renewable power for consumers across Great Britain."

Planning consent for turbines up to 291m (955ft) high has been granted

The Contract for Difference system means that if the wholesale price of power falls below a "strike price", the developer will have the difference made up by a fund sourced from the bills of electricity customers across Britain.

David Webster, director of energy at Port of Dundee owners Forth Ports, said: "This is a very significant project for the Port of Dundee as we establish Forth Ports as the partner of choice for the renewable energy sector in Scotland.

"We have built Scotland's only custom-built renewables hub at the port which, when coupled with Dundee's proximity to the project site in the North Sea and the natural deep waters of the Tay, makes the port ideally suited to the requirements of this major contract for Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm."