The Port of Nigg, located within the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF), has been granted customs site status by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), marking a significant step towards increasing the port's capacity for handling offshore wind components.
The new customs designation allows heavy engineering components, including offshore wind foundations, HV/DC cables, wind turbine generators, and fabricated steel structures, to pass through the port. As a customs site, the port is exempt from standard UK customs rules, offering businesses benefits such as duty suspension on imported goods and no export duties for products used in British waters beyond the 12-mile territorial limit or for international exports. Additionally, businesses can store goods at the port for extended periods without incurring duties, and a simplified administrative process is available for importing and exporting goods.
The designation of the customs site is critical for ICFGF, as it is required to have at least one operational customs site to finalize its business case with both the Scottish and UK governments. The process is now expected to conclude within weeks.
Calum MacPherson, CEO of ICFGF, praised the achievement, stating, “Port of Nigg has demonstrated the exceptionally high standards organizations will need to meet to operate these HMRC regulated zones. This status significantly raises our potential as a major European hub for offshore wind and renewable energy technologies.”
The Port of Nigg, operated by Global Energy Group and one of the green freeport's founding partners, was selected to apply for customs site status due to its established security and cargo handling processes. This status has already attracted significant investment, including Sumitomo Electric Ltd's £350 million subsea cable manufacturing plant at the port, which is expected to create over 150 skilled local jobs.
Rory Gunn, facilities director at Port of Nigg, highlighted the potential for growth, saying, “The customs site status will further enhance our competitiveness, especially in the offshore renewables sector. It will enable us to attract new opportunities and provide benefits to our existing and future clients.”
The new designation not only strengthens the Port of Nigg's role in the renewable energy sector but also supports the broader ambitions of the green freeport initiative to drive economic growth and inward investment in the region.
