The port projects are expected to drive growth in the country. Credit: Avigator Fortuner / Shutterstock.com.

The governments of the UK and Scotland have announced plans to build two green freeports in Inverness and Cromarty Firth as well as Firth of Forth.

With a funding commitment of up to £52m by the UK Government, the projects are expected to create around £10.8bn of private and public investment along with more than 75,000 new skilled jobs.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

Bidding for the projects opened earlier this year, and consortiums submitted bids for a share of the cash. The winning bids were jointly revealed by the UK and Scottish Governments.

After a joint assessment mechanism, the governments chose Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport as the winning bids.

Each project will receive up to £26m in funding over the next few years, primarily to help address infrastructure gaps.

The Forth Green Freeport is estimated to attract investments of up to £6bn and aims to transition to net zero by 2045.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

It will focus on storage and shipbuilding, renewables manufacturing, alternative fuels, and carbon capture utilisation. The freeport is expected to create 50,000 jobs.

The Forth site includes the ports at Grangemouth, Rosyth and Leith, as well as Edinburgh Airport and a site at Burntisland.

Meanwhile, the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport is expected to generate around £4.8bn for the region.

The project will concentrate on floating offshore wind, nuclear and hydrogen, which will drive a transition to net zero by 2045.

It will include the Ports of Inverness, Cromarty Firth and Nigg, along with the Inverness Airport site.

Additionally, an expansion of the Inverness Campus and Powerhouse is being planned, with proposals to deliver innovation and skills support.

The green freeport projects are expected to become operational in late 2023.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Working together delivers results – and I am absolutely delighted that the First Minister and I can announce the delivery of our shared ambition for people in Scotland today with not one but two excellent Green Freeport areas.

“In extending the benefits of freeports to Scotland, we are unleashing the potential of the Firth of Forth and Inverness and Cromarty Firth – backing the delivery of thousands of high-quality green jobs for future generations, as we continue to make gains on our commitments to transition to net zero.”