Firth of Forth proposed as Scotland’s Green Port
Forth Ports, Scotland’s largest ports operator and owner of seven Scottish ports on the east coast, has intimated to the Scottish Government that it will submit a proposal for a Green Port encompassing key ports, industrial complexes and logistics centres along the north and south shores of the Firth of Forth and at Edinburgh Airport.
The Scottish Government has invited expressions of interest for the creation of a Green Port, which is a large, zoned area with a defined boundary within which operators and businesses can benefit from a package of financial and customs incentives which can attract inward investment.
Subject to sight of the Scottish Government’s full Green Ports prospectus, Forth Ports, which has been a port operator for over 50 years, proposes that the Firth of Forth Green Port will encompass strategic locations along the Forth Estuary, including Grangemouth (home to Scotland’s Freight Hub and principal petrochemical cluster) and the Port of Leith, where Forth Ports announced in May that it plans to create a £40 million renewable energy hub.
Fife and the City of Edinburgh are also expected to feature in Forth Ports’ Green Ports bid. Forth Ports are currently evaluating sites in Fife along the North Shore of the Firth of Forth from Longannet to Rosyth. Edinburgh Airport is also expected to feature for its international connectivity. Each of these locations are uniquely placed to deliver on all of the objectives of the proposed Green Ports policy.
Forth Ports, supported by Edinburgh City Council, Falkirk Council and Fife Council, believes that the Firth of Forth Green Port will play a major role in Scotland’s recovery from Covid-19 and accelerate the country’s transition to meeting net zero targets, by providing investment incentives, with a long-term positive impact on Scotland’s economic growth.