PETERHEAD COUNCILLORS WELCOME ENERGY HUB ANNOUNCEMENT

Local SNP councillors have welcomed today's announcement that Peterhead is one of the sites identified as a potential location for the first stage of phased investment as part of Scotland’s National Renewable Infrastructure Plan.

Welcoming the news, Peterhead North & Rattray SNP councillor Anne Allan said:

"This is excellent news for Peterhead. We have a fantastic facility here with the deep-water port which has been the gateway for wind turbines coming in to Aberdeenshire by sea for some time now. It stands to reason that it can also be a hub for the developing offshore wind energy sector.

"There is a great opportunity here for Scottish manufacturing companies to meet the demands of offshore wind energy by making components and shipping them through Peterhead which will bring economic benefits to the town and the port."

Peterhead South & Cruden SNP councillor Stephen Smith added:

"This fits in very well with the Energetica Project which is all about clean, renewable energy and creating jobs and investment along the A90 from Bridge of Don to Peterhead.

"There's no doubt that renewable energy is going to become more and more important as time goes on and this announcement hopefully means that Peterhead will be well-placed to benefit from that as time goes on."

Scottish Government Energy Minister Jim Mather said:

"Scotland is globally recognised as a leading centre for marine energy and the offshore wind industry will invest around £20 billion in Scottish waters over the next 10 years. We have massive opportunities to build strong, vibrant industries throughout the supply chain and that's why we are taking a national approach to infrastructure to maximise the economic benefits from renewables. The stage 1 National Renewables Infrastructure Plan report is very welcome and I will look to see rapid progress on implementation."