The port of Nigg, part of Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF), has been granted Customs site status, allowing for greater volumes of components to pass through the Scottish port.
The designation, granted by HMRC after an audit and verification process, provides incentives that will pave the way for greater volumes of heavy engineering components such as offshore wind foundations, manufactured HV/DC Cables, wind turbines generator components and fabricated steel structures to pass through the port.
The Customs site within the green freeport benefits from simplified processes and reduced costs. Businesses using the site have duty suspended on imported goods so long as they are not moved into the wider UK after leaving the port. There are also no export duties on products going into use in British waters outside a 12-mile (19.3-km) territorial limit or to countries overseas.
“The work and lessons learned will benefit other organisations within the green freeport that want to become Customs sites. Port of Nigg has demonstrated the exceptionally high standards organisations will need to meet to operate these HMRC regulated zones,” said Calum MacPherson, chief executive of ICFGF. “Where our ports excel is in the handling of heavy engineering components for the energy sector, and this status significantly raises our potential as a major European hub for offshore wind and renewable energy technologies.”
The Custom site status was a factor in Sumitomo Electric setting up shop at the port, with the Japanese firm constructing a GBP350 million (USD444.2 million) subsea cable manufacturing plant there.
Rory Gunn, facilities director at port of Nigg, said: “As a large and established hub facility within the energy industry, the Customs site status will further enhance our competitiveness, especially in the offshore renewables sector. It will enable us to attract new opportunities and provide benefits to our existing and future clients.”
The port of Nigg is located on the Cromarty Firth and is operated by Global Energy Group. ICFGF is required to have at least one operational Customs site to enable the Scottish and UK governments to approve its full business case. That final phase in the administrative process is now expected to happen within a matter of weeks.
