HBPW Helps Spearhead Scottish Green Revolution At Leith

As Scotland pursues its ‘green dream’ to double the UK’s offshore wind capacity within a decade, HBPW is playing its part in the country’s ambitious goal at Port of Leith near Edinburgh, where a multi-million pounds project is steaming ahead.

In recent months Crown Estate Scotland auctioned the country’s seabed plots to multi nationals, paving the way for the next generation of windfarms.

And, thanks to extensive experience working in this sector, HBPW is now reaping the rewards of its ‘eco’ labours with a project at Leith, which will see the construction of a 125m long new quay to support some of the world’s largest offshore wind installation vessels.

Senior Partner, Paul Withers, said: “The Leith structure is a new pile supported reinforced concrete quay on the site of the existing Eastern breakwater immediately in front of the main dock gates at Port of Leith.

“It features 140 steel tubular support piles which will be driven into the underlying mudstone rock, along with breasting and mooring dolphins to accommodate vessels using the facility.”

Last year Forth Ports unveiled ambitious £40m private investment plans to create Scotland’s largest renewable energy hub on its 175-acre site at Port of Leith, supporting the country’s economic recovery and energy transition plans along with Scotland’s net zero carbon emissions target.

The facility will feature a heavy lift capability of up to 100 tonnes per square metre (t/m²), backed up by 35 acres of adjacent land for logistics and marshalling.

This will be supplemented by the upgrading of a 140-acre cargo handling site to accommodate lay down; assembly; supply chain and manufacturing opportunities. The total area is equivalent to around 100 full size football pitches.

“The wider project going on at Leith is amazing,” added Paul Withers, “and our element is not dissimilar to the project we did at Dundee Port where part of our brief was to demolish and replace Caledon East Wharf and upgrade load capacity to the existing Prince Charles Wharf.

“There is little doubt that our marine experience here and, indeed in Hull where we worked with Graham Construction and Associated British Ports (ABP) to construct new lead-in jetties to the East and West sides of Alexandra Dock, have played their part in landing the Port of Leith engineering brief.

“It is amazing civil engineering work and, at a time when oil and gas prices are soaring, it goes without saying that green energy is certainly the future and that our work at Leith is genuinely important for future generations.

“This new quay has been designed for the next 120 years and even takes account that sea levels will most likely rise by up to one metre during that period, due to global warming.”

Client: Forth Ports

Contractor: GRAHAM