As Scotland makes the vital transition to net zero, the beautiful Orkney islands have found themselves at the epicentre of the renewables industry.
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The isles are close to a number of windfarms awarded through the Scotwind initiative. Meanwhile areas of the seabed are made available to commercial firms to generate green energy. These include the West of Orkney Windfarm, which is located 30km off the coast and is expected to go online in 2029.
For Orkney Harbours renewables are most definitely the future and management is using its masterplan to develop infrastructure. This will ensure they can support the growing demands of the offshore wind sector.
Paul Olvhoj, business development manager at Orkney Harbours, commented: “The biggest driver of the masterplan, which has a vision up to 2050, is to look to future developments and projects to support marine renewables, particularly offshore wind, and help build a more sustainable greener future.
“We know what we have to do and the net zero targets to achieve. These targets place us in a unique position because our industry needs innovative technological advances, such as powering deep sea ocean-going vessels with cleaner fuels.”
Now let’ take a look at what the masterplan involves:
Realising the full potential of Scapa Flow
One of the first tasks will be to focus on taking full advantage of the unique geographical and natural characteristics of Scapa Flow and building a new deep-water quay.
“Scapa Flow is an incredible natural asset, but it doesn’t have a deep-water quay,” explained Mr Olvhoj.
“There are few harbours in Scotland offering deep-water quayside facilities like those possible here. The proposed quay will be critical to supporting the offshore wind projects that will take place to the west and the east over the next decade.”
Supporting offshore wind developers’ activities, such as assembly, installation, marshalling, operations and maintenance will be highly beneficial in achieving the emerging renewables sector.
This was given added impetus recently when ScotWind, which is run by Crown Estate Scotland, awarded 17 projects covering an area of 7,000km² – with a combined potential to generate around 25GW of renewable energy.
Mr Olvhoj continued: “Putting in place infrastructure, such as the Scapa Deep Water Quay will enable the Orkneys to be at the centre of Scotland’s green energy transformation.”
Potential benefits of the masterplan to both Orkney Harbours’ renewables drive and the overall success of the island are numerous.
The Flotta Hydrogen Hub
The future £170million deep-water quay is seen as a potential player in The Flotta Hydrogen Hub – a large-scale green hydrogen facility for storage and distribution of transitional and green fuels.
Semi-submersible platforms
The proposed quay also has the capacity to accommodate semi-submersible platforms of all types, giving Orkney a unique competitive edge within the existing oil and gas market.
Capital projects
The masterplan foresees extensive capital projects overhauling and extending Hatston Pier, Kirkwall Pier, Scapa Pier and Stromness, with the focus on all sectors that are currently supported in Orkney. A second phase will develop the islands’ smaller harbours and piers.
Employment
A commissioned study found the proposals will have a transformational impact on the Orkneys’ economy and society, creating more than 100 new jobs, in addition to substantial job opportunities during the construction phases.
Oil and gas
While the masterplan fully embraces decarbonisation, it seeks to support and generate social and economic benefits from ongoing oil and gas activity.
Mr Olvhoj concluded: “The over-arching goal is that we want to lead the way towards carbon-free shipping and ports. The masterplan not only positions us to grasp those big opportunities but lays the foundations for a long-term transition away from fossil fuels with the full support of stakeholders, agencies, and, importantly, the people of Orkney.”
