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Freeport East welcomes port funding report

[ March 15, 2024   //   ]

Freeport East says a new report from the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult) will help accelerate upgrades to UK port infrastructure to support commercial-scale floating offshore wind.

The report focuses on port infrastructure issues and proposes ways to increase Government funding.

Offshore wind is critical to achieving the UK Government’s Net Zero targets, but risks being derailed by a lack of port capacity, says Freeport East. The uncertainty surrounding the development pipeline, with multiple different projects, developers and their supply chains all competing for Government support, makes expanding port capacity difficult. If the UK fails to address this issue, ports in continental Europe could capture the market, it says.

Bathside Bay at Harwich International Port – part of Freeport East – has already secured planning permission for the development of a new container terminal. Phase 1 of this project started in 2022 on existing land, and the next phase involves reclaiming the bay and constructing the quay wall, resulting in the creation of up to 122 hectares of new port land.

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