New investments have been announced to strengthen UK ports and industrial regions as part of efforts to boost renewable energy capacity and local employment.
JERA Nex bp and EnBW, through their Mona and Morgan joint ventures, will invest more than £100 million in Belfast Harbour to support construction of two major offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea. The partners have leased the harbour’s offshore wind terminal for turbine assembly and construction activities. Government consent was granted earlier this year for the Mona and Morgan Generation projects, with approval for the Morgan Transmission Assets expected in 2026. Once operational, the wind farms could supply electricity to about three million homes. The investment is expected to support more than 300 jobs and has also enabled Belfast Harbour to proceed with a £90 million deepwater berth expansion.
Additional funding has been directed to the Port of East Anglia, including £15 million as part of a £28 million upgrade to establish a new operations and maintenance centre for the East Anglia TWO wind farm in the North Sea. Scottish Power and Peel Ports Group have also announced a separate £10 million investment to expand the port’s Northern Terminal, supporting future offshore wind projects and an estimated 100 jobs.
