Excerpt and Photo from pressandjournal.co.uk
For years the ports have been at the forefront of the oil and gas sector, with crude oil moving through the Flotta Terminal since 1977. In addition, ship-to-ship operations of crude oil cargo have been conducted in Scapa Flow since 1980 and tankers have long used the site for sheltered anchorage.
However, as the transition to Net Zero continues, the need to capitalise on the new market of renewables is clear. That point is emphasised by a reduction in oil and gas coming through the Flotta terminal.
The clearest opportunity in the North Sea renewables sector undoubtedly comes from offshore wind. But the ports face a number of challenges to fully harnessing that potential, not least the financial aspect.
Paul Olvhoj business development manager at Orkney Harbours, said: “Offshore Wind is obviously the main opportunity for us going forward. The huge scale of developments planned in Scotwind / INTOG and others on paper provides a strong income stream for the supply chain as it transitions from fossil fuels. However, the technical and financial challenges for these are placing a burden on business owners, in particularly ports. The demand for infrastructure projects to be fast tracked in time to support developments prior to contractual agreements means that investment is a major hurdle.”