Plan to revive Ardersier port for offshore turbine work

A French renewable energy developer has proposed building parts for floating wind turbines at a former oil and gas fabrication yard in the Highlands.

BW Ideol plans to manufacture platforms called concrete floaters at Ardersier port on the Moray Firth coast.

Ardersier is largest brownfield port in the UK, with 400 acres (162ha) of formerly developed and now disused land and a quay more than a mile long.

Rigs and other offshore structures were built at the former McDermott Yard.

At its height, the yard employed about 4,500 people - but it closed in 2001 as demand dropped.

BW Ideol has signed an agreement with Ardersier Port Authority giving it long-term access to the port for the manufacture of the offshore turbine platforms.

Dredging work in the sea at the site is expected to start next month.

Separate plans for other areas of the site include housing and a marina.