Burntisland
Burntisland presents a deep-water opportunity for large component assembly and pre-deployment assessment and certification. Sited opposite Leith, the two locations together provide the capacity and proximity to serve emerging and future offshore wind projects for both manufacturing, marshalling, integration, operation and maintenance activities.
Burntisland Harbour is a commercial port owned and operated by Forth Ports, with active tenants who operate within the marine, offshore wind (crew transfers and towage for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm) and construction industries. The port and its tenants employ circa 125 people, with 230 commercial vessels calling per year.
The port has a strong future in energy logistics and is expected to expand as ScotWind progresses. To support this growth, Burntisland has been identified for accelerated development by the Scottish and UK Governments, through its designation as a tax site within the Forth Green Freeport.
The port, almost in its entirety, forms part of the Mid-Forth Tax Site (47 HA). The tax site includes an area of seabed where proposals have been drawn up to construct a specialist jetty from the breakwater to reach the necessary deep-water in the Firth of Forth to support the integration of floating offshore wind energy projects. A critical activity to drive up Scottish content in offshore wind supply chains.
View tax sites
Click the buttons below for Mid-Forth tax sites
Port of Leith
A 103HA tax designated site created specifically for offshore wind manufacturing and marshalling.
It enjoys easy access to offshore wind projects. The large amount of available port-side land in Leith creates a significant opportunity to build a domestic supply chain for all aspects of wind generation activity.
The Port of Leith handles more than one million tonnes of cargo. Leith includes Scotland’s largest enclosed deep-water port, with the ability to handle ships up to 50,000 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT). It has specialist logistic support for grain and aggregates through bulk cargo dischargers. It has created a new outer berth – the Charles Hammond Berth (CHB) – to handle the largest offshore wind supply vessels. The CHB is already servicing the offshore wind supply chain through a range of marshalling activities for the Inch Cape project.
Green Freeport levers have already generated significant expressions of interest in offshore wind manufacturing at Leith, after the departure of a long-term tenant in the oil and gas sector. FGF provides the best location to support manufacturing of North Sea offshore floating wind infrastructure given its access to a large skilled labour pool, proximity to maritime installation sites on the east coast, and strategic links to other sites, including net zero-focused freeports in Teesside and The Humber, and links to Dundee and Aberdeen.
Dry Dock 31/Forth Ports:
The Port of Leith is going through a major transition as it becomes a leading offshore renewables hub.
The Dry Dock 31 will be a positive addition to the Leith waterfront regeneration project. The Dry Dock development will overhaul land used for industrial port activities, and will transform the site into a dynamic, mixed-use development that will cater to a diverse range of businesses and sectors. The Dry Dock will also introduce new public spaces, opening previously inaccessible areas of the port to the wider community.
The Dry Dock will feature repurposed shipping containers which will provide flexible, inspiring workspaces. An incubator space for supply chain companies to innovate and grow.
Key existing historical structures on the site, such as the former dry dock pump house, sheds and rail tracks will be preserved and incorporated into the design, helping to maintain the site’s historical character and enhancing its sense of place.
A creative hub in Leith
The creative industries are one of Scotland’s seven growth sectors and are becoming increasingly important to Scotland’s economy, culture and society.
The wider Leith area is a longstanding creative hub, with businesses such as the videogame developer, Build a Rocket Boy and First Stage Studios, based in the area.
Leith has long been a base for creative activity in the advertising sector, with an advanced supply chain ecosystem across print, audio visual production, live event logistics and latterly digital content production and management of all kinds.
Building upon existing assets, the creation of additional facilities and flexible space is expected to spur further growth of the creative sector at Leith.
Useful information & Resources
Willow/INEOS
[TBD]
Refinery/Petro INEOS
[TBD]
Earls Road/CalaChem
[TBD]
South Street/Falkirk Council
[TBD]
Port of Grangemouth/Forth Ports
Forth Ports Grangemouth is Scotland’s largest container port and a growing freight hub
[TBD]
Projects
GFIB – https://www.gov.scot/groups/grangemouth-future-industry-board/
Willow – Project Willow was commissioned by Petroineos and funded by both the UK and Scottish governments to evaluate Grangemouth’s potential. The project identified nine key investment areas within the categories of wastes, bio-feedstock, and support for off-shore wind.
Brockwell Energy to Waste – [TBD]
Integrated Utilities Study – SE and Forth Green Freeport wish to appoint a single supplier to deliver a strategic assessment of the utilities capacity and constraints across the FGF tax sites. The project will be delivered in three phases.
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084598-2025
Resources
UK Government – Plans for the Future of Grangemouth – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plans-for-future-of-grangemouth
