Ardersier Port quay wall construction contract awarded, following investment boost
Haventus has awarded Bauer Technologies the quay wall contract for the redevelopment of Ardersier Port near Inverness – a project that recently secured a £100M loan.
Haventus is developing a North Sea energy transition facility at the 182ha Ardersier Port brownfield site. The facility will be used for deploying and servicing fixed and floating offshore wind installations.
Construction work is now underway on the multi-million-pound project, as Haventus has taken a final investment decision.
It entails the development of a new 650m quay wall and associated quayside. In addition to quayside access, the site will include suitable infrastructure for marshalling, integration, manufacturing and assembly of offshore wind components.
Haventus has chosen geotechnical contractor Bauer Technologies, part of Bauer Spezialtiefbau, to install diaphragm walls for the front quay and rear anchor walls.
The front quay wall will have a depth of up to 42m and widths ranging between 1,200mm and 1,500mm, while the rear anchor wall will be up to 27m deep and 1,000mm wide.
In August 2023, civil engineering contractor O’Keefe completed ground improvement works for a new 1.5km long haul road to facilitate the main construction works.
The announcement of Bauer’s appointment follows on the heels of a £100M credit boost for the project. The Scottish National Investment Bank and UK Infrastructure Bank have invested £50M each.
Last year, energy investment firm Quantum Capital Group also committed to £300M in funding.
Haventus chief executive Lewis Gillies said: “We are delighted to have secured the support of the two banks as important partners in this nationally significant project. With their support, and that of Quantum, Ardersier Port is poised to become a critical offshore wind hub and an important job creator and enabler. It will play a crucial role in helping the country meet its net zero ambitions.
“With work now underway on site, we aim to have the facility open and operational in the second half of next year. This progress has been achieved in a very short period, due in large measure to the constructive engagement we have had with the Highland Council, our consenting agencies and regulators and government departments.”
Based in Scotland’s Moray Firth, Ardersier Port will be able to support offshore wind developers and manufacturers of offshore wind components and equipment for the 35GW project pipeline via the Scotwind and Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (Intog) leasing rounds.
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