In light of new proposals to develop the Port of Leith as a hub for offshore renewable

energy manufacture and support and the consequent demand for space at the Port, Forth Energy has written to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit withdrawing its current application for permission to build a combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Leith.

Forth Energy – the joint venture between Forth Ports Limited and SSE plc – will re-assess the potential for renewable energy production at the Port of Leith, owned by Forth Ports, once the full configuration of renewables companies locating at the Port has been finalised, land availability has been re-evaluated and the demand for renewable energy has been assessed.

The Port of Leith has been identified by Scottish Enterprise as Scotland’s top location for renewables manufacturing under the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan; is the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Enterprise, City of Edinburgh Council and Forth Ports; and is within the Scottish Government’s recently-announced Low Carbon /

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Renewables East Enterprise Area.

Forth Ports and SSE remain committed, through their joint venture project, Forth Energy, to developing wood-fuelled CHP plants at the Ports of Grangemouth, Rosyth and Dundee.

Calum Wilson, Managing Director of Forth Energy, said: "Much has changed since we first applied for permission to build a CHP plant at Leith, not least the Port’s emerging status as a hub to support the Scottish offshore renewable energy industry.

"We remain fully committed to bringing reliable, responsible, renewable heat and electricity to Scotland through our proposed developments at the Ports of Grangemouth, Rosyth and Dundee and, in the process, assisting the Scottish Government in achieving its ambitious 2020 renewable energy targets. Once the configuration of the Port of Leith has been established, we will re-assess

the opportunity and industrial demand for renewable energy and heat at the Port."

Charles Hammond, Chief Executive of Forth Ports, said: "The level of demand from renewables companies keen to locate at the Port of Leith means that it is appropriate that we draw breath while we see how the land configuration at the port evolves.

"We are fully committed to supporting the Scottish Government’s strategy for renewables manufacturing and our joint decision to withdraw this application at this stage will help to facilitate the Port of Leith’s role as a renewables hub."

(GK)