Ardersier Port was opened by US engineering group McDermott in 1972
At its height the fabrication yard employed as many as 4,500 staff at its peak, making it the largest private sector employer in the Highlands. A fall in demand led to the facility’s closure in 2001.
In 2007, Highland Council approved ambitious plans for a 1950 home development, along with a marina, hotel, visitor centre and community facilities including a primary school.
In 2016, Clowes Developments purchased the site from administration in a deal which safeguarded the site for future generations and opportunities. Clowes renewed and obtained all the necessary Marine Consents for the Port to be re-opened.
Described as the largest brownfield port in the United Kingdom, Ardersier Port has been identified as one of just three UK east coast sites with the size, scale, shape, and location capable of being an offshore renewable energy hub. The port comprises of 450 acres onshore and a further 340 acres offshore. Authorities have backed the port’s potential as a site for renewables-related development as part of the Scottish Government’s national renewables infrastructure plan.
The site is now owned by Haventus Ltd and it has been earmarked to become “Europe’s leading decommissioning, floating wind, fixed wind and hydrogen facility. Haventus is backed by an initial £300m investment by Quantum Energy Partners, a US investment firm that provides private capital to the global energy industry. The Port has now joined the Green Port initiative which includes Port of Cromarty Firth, Nigg and Inverness Harbour.
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