The Port of Leith Renewable Energy Hub is a major marine infrastructure project developed by Forth Ports Limited to support North Sea offshore wind expansion. Following an additional £50 million investment secured through a contract with the 1.1 GW Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm, the facility’s new deep-water riverside berth—officially named the “Charles Hammond Berth”—was formally opened in April 2025. By October 2025, the hub received its first shipment of 2,300-tonne XXL monopile foundations for the Inch Cape project. Looking ahead, Vestas announced plans in March 2026 for a €250 million wind turbine factory, with ongoing discussions to potentially locate the facility at the Leith site pending future UK auction outcomes. This potential industrial expansion is anchored by the news that Vestas plans a €250 million V236-15.0 MW nacelle and hub factory in Scotland, a facility that would produce the next generation of massive offshore turbines to power the UK’s green energy transition.
Project Overview
Type: Marine infrastructure and renewable energy logistics hub
Location: Port of Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland
Total Project Cost: Over £100 million in private funds (including an additional £50 million second-phase investment)
Total Site Area: 175 acres
Key Feature: The “Charles Hammond Berth,” a bespoke, riverside marine berth capable of accommodating the world’s largest offshore wind installation vessels
Lift Capacity: 100 tonnes per square meter (t/m²)
Construction Start: Mid-2023
Completion Date: The Charles Hammond Berth officially opened in April 2025
Major Contracts: Serving as the primary marshalling and logistics hub for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm (first XXL monopiles arrived in October 2025)
Future Developments: In March 2026, Vestas announced a €250M (£216M) investment for a wind turbine nacelle and hub factory, currently in discussions to be located at the Port of Leith (contingent on securing Allocation Round 8 auction orders).
Project Team
Owner/Developer: Forth Ports Limited
Civil Engineering Contractor: GRAHAM (Completed the Charles Hammond Berth construction)
Key Partners / Tenants: Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm (Joint venture between ESB and Red Rock Renewables) and Vestas (Turbine manufacturing and assembly)
Published 12th March 2024: The ongoing construction of Scotland’s largest renewable energy hub is reportedly well on course approximately 10 months since the project broke ground.
According to reports, the initial phase of piling is fully complete. This phase comprised the installation of a total of 140 tubular piles with a length of up to 32 meters and a diameter of 1.2 meters. The construction of the combi wall, which is a part of phase 2 of the project, is also fully complete.
Works are currently ongoing on the installation of dolphin piles. A dolphin pile, just in case you are wondering, is a man-made berthing or mooring structure that extends above water level. It is not connected to the shore or any other structure for that matter. Only six of these piles are yet to be installed. They are all set to be in place by March 2024.
The installation of steel capping plates is also ongoing. 92 of these plates, which are fixed on top of the dolphin piles, are already complete. The plates provide a surface on which the concrete precast units will be installed. Work has already begun to position the concrete units on top of the piles. Thus far 56 units out of the required 112 have been put in place.
Other ongoing works
In early March 2024, steel reinforcement works started in preparation for the first deck pours. The latter, each of which requires approximately 500m³ of concrete, is scheduled to commence the week of March 18th. A total of eight pours are set to be carried out.
Other ongoing works include cathodic protection and the installation of a total of 12 fender jackets half of which have already been installed. Six skid frame assemblies, each of which comprises a total of 5 sacrificial aluminium anodes, have been installed on the completed section of rock armour and connections made to the piles.
The purpose of the anodes according to the project contractor is to prevent corrosion of the piles. The remaining assemblies are to be installed before the end of March 2024.
Overview of Scotland’s largest renewable energy hub
The US$ 56.7M development is coming up on a 175-acre site located at the Port of Leith, north of Edinburgh. It includes the construction of a bespoke, riverside marine berth capable of accommodating the world’s largest offshore wind installation vessels in a bid to support the ongoing expansion of offshore renewable energy installations in the North Sea.
The facility will feature a heavy lift capacity of up to 100 tonnes per square meter (t/m2), backed up by 35 acres of adjacent land for logistics and marshalling. A 140-acre cargo handling site will be upgraded to supplement the logistics and marshalling site by accommodating lay down, assembly, supply chain and manufacturing activities.
The project is developed by Forth Ports Limited, one of the largest, leading port operators in the UK owned by the Public Sector Pension Investment Board. GRAHAM, a privately owned company specialising in building, civil engineering, interior fit-out, facilities management and investments is the project civil engineering contractor.
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