A £55m funding boost has been announced for the Port of Cromarty Firth in Scotland by the government.

The grant funding into Scotland’s floating offshore wind sector will drive growth and create hundreds of jobs.

Port of Cromarty Firth is set to become the UK’s first port able to make floating offshore wind turbines at scale, backed by a grant from the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS).

This initial financial backing from the UK government paves the way for the port to secure match-funding from other investors, with the port expected to become operational by the start of 2028.

Construction work on the port’s expansion is expected to create up to 320 jobs.

When fully developed, the port is expected to support up to 1,000 skilled jobs in the construction, installation and operational support of offshore and floating offshore wind - such as crane operators, marine engineers, and people working on the vessels towing the turbines out to sea.

Energy minister, Michael Shanks, said: “Communities in Scotland and across the country should be powered by reliable, home-grown, clean energy from British coastlines – this is how we reduce our reliance on unstable fossil fuel markets and bring down energy bills for good.

“That’s why the government is getting on with building the infrastructure needed to roll out clean energy quickly, creating skilled jobs in local communities and driving growth – the priority in our Plan for Change.”

Alex Campbell, Port of Cromarty Firth chief executive, added: “The port is delighted that FLOWMIS funding has been secured for our ambitious Phase 5 expansion, which is a critical step towards creating the UK’s first custom-built floating offshore wind integration port. 

“We believe this confirmation by the UK government shows the faith in our Trust Port status to deliver jobs and economic growth locally and nationally, and that the certainty from this announcement will unlock further investment in other ports across the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport to boost their complementary plans.”

The £55.7m grant award is the latest step taken by the government to deliver clean power by 2030 and support growth

FLOWMIS was launched in 2023 and designed to provide grants to ports to support development of port infrastructure needed for deployment of floating offshore wind at scale.

The Port of Cromarty Firth is one of two ports selected for funding, with plans for the second shortlisted port, Port Talbot, under development.