A bid to win special status for ports and airports in Aberdeen and Peterhead will “boldly be going where no freeport has gone before” as a plan to include a spaceport in Shetland was unveiled.
The North East Scotland Green Freeport (NESGF) bid partners are in talks with SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland to create a strategic partnership – should the bid be successful in winning backing from the Scottish and UK governments.
The discussions centre on the spaceport on Unst – the UK’s northernmost inhabited isle – becoming a subzone of the NESGF.
This is despite current guidelines which state the green freeport takes in a zoned area within a defined boundary extending around 28 miles (45km).
However, the partners said the bidding prospectus “allows applications to be made for exceptional additional customs and tax sites outside the outer boundary where it can be supported by a clear economic rationale”.
SaxaVord is vying to host the UK’s first vertical rocket launches next year to deliver small satellites into orbit.
Meanwhile, Port of Aberdeen, Peterhead Port Authority, Aberdeen International Airport, alongside Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire council, are awaiting a decision on their bid in the coming days.
Peterhead Port Authority chief executive Simon Brebner said there was a “clear case to be made” for SaxaVord becoming a subzone of NESGF.
He said: “In addition to our plans for carbon capture and hydrogen production, as well as offshore wind, our desire to form a strong association with SaxaVord Spaceport means we will boldly be going where no freeport has gone before.
“The two ports and airport are clearly geographically central to the spaceport supply chain, and we believe that if our bid is successful we will be able to add significantly to our value proposition.”
SaxaVord Spaceport chief executive Frank Strang said the company would also be opening an office in Aberdeen “shortly”.
He said: “As we prepare for launch, it makes absolute sense to align ourselves with the NESFG bid as the benefits for both Shetland and the north-east are clear, and, dare I say it, out of this world.
“Our business will be of huge strategic and commercial significance to the UK and Scotland for decades to come, and any associated freeport status would be of considerable importance to our own plans and enhance the ability of the bid partners in the north-east to support us.
“The clear ambition of NESGF to reposition the region as the net-zero capital of Europe aligns seamlessly with our aspiration to become a green energy exemplar.
“As a further example of our commitment, our partners at Pure Energy in Unst have been at the forefront of the hydrogen revolution for the past 15 years.”
Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid said: “I fully welcome these Spaceport discussions which again show the advantages of the north-east bid to the local area around Peterhead and Aberdeen.
“With the well-established connections to the area by road, rail and air, it also makes sense that businesses across the rest of north Scotland would benefit from the north-east bid being successful.
“This is exactly why both of Scotland’s governments must press on with taking advantage of the phenomenal benefits of this north-east bid.”
Decision time
These are the final days of fierce competition between five port consortiums in Scotland to be named as a green freeport, which includes a share of £52 million of government funding.
Other areas vying for a green freeport include Opportunity Cromarty Firth (OCF), the consortium leading the bid for green freeport status on the west coast.
Orkney Council has also thrown its hat into the ring for an Orkney Green Freeport based around Scapa Flow, the largest natural deepwater harbour in the northern hemisphere.
Two further bids in the central belt include the Firth of Forth Green Freeport and the Clyde Green Freeport.
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