A new multimodal centre for manufacturing, processing, logistics and energy, based around the deepest port on the UK's west coast is being considered at Hunterston, marketed by the commercial property group JLL.
Hunterston Port and Resource Centre (PARC) will combine the Hunterston Bulk Terminal and other resources; the Hunterston Marine Yard with one of the largest dry docks in the country; two rail terminals and over 300 acres of development land.
The site is owned by Peel Ports Group, one of the largest port groups in the UK which owns and operates some of the UK's most important ports as well as a container terminal in Dublin.
Peel Ports Group is developing Hunterston PARC to support the SNP Government's 'Circular Economy'* strategy, with the co-location of material management, asset decommissioning and recycling, pre-fabrication and manufacturing, data storage, and power generation all on a single site alongside industrial research activities.
The site is expected to attract significant interest from the energy sector, with infrastructure suited for power generation, storage and exportation. Hunterston PARC is equipped to handle and process chemicals including liquefied natural gas which is increasingly powering Scottish industry and transport.
With direct sea links to the Irish Sea, as well as Peel Ports' newly opened £400m deep-water container terminal, Liverpool2, the site has obvious deep-water links for global export and import trade. Hunterston PARC also benefits from multi-modal connectivity with low cost rail and road options linking the site with central Scotland and beyond.
Hunterston has a longstanding history in Scotland's oil and gas industry having been used to complete the concrete gravity sub-structure for BP's Harding Field and the gravity platform for the Maureen Field. The site's 100 acre Marine Yard has been earmarked as a suitable site for the future decommissioning of oil & gas structures as well as the construction of assets for the renewable energy sector.
Commenting, Kenneth Gibson said:
“The future of Hunterston has been under discussion for many years, with numerous suggestions being made as to how best to utilise this site.
“The deep water port energy connections and the extent of the land available are obvious attractions. Any potential development should be looked at in detail, taking into account the local economy, employment opportunities as well as the impact on the environment and local communities.”
*A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.
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