£150m plan for world's largest Liquid Air Energy plant approved in Scotland

A £150m plan to upgrade the former Hunterston coal terminal in North Ayrshire has been approved.

Site owner Peel Ports Clydeport has been given permission to completely redevelop the marine yard as it prepares the site for major renewables infrastructure.

Work includes creating the world’s largest Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) facility and filling in the dry dock to turn the site into a “leading hub for blue and green economies”.

If marine licences are secured, work on the 350-acre site is expected to begin in early 2025 and will take around two years to complete.

Hunterston marine yard redevelopment Big Partnership

The company says the redevelopment could attract £3.5bn in inward investment, create over 5,000 jobs and pave the way for increased offshore wind power off the UK’s west coast.

Lewis McIntyre, managing director of Port Services at Peel Ports Group said: “Hunterston is set to become a major facilitator of the UK energy transition, and this decision is a big step forward in making that happen. It also proves that the west coast is going to play a huge role in renewables.

“There will be no energy transition without ports, and harnessing the potential of sites like Hunterston is key to achieving the UK’s net-zero goals.

“The knock-on benefits for the local and national economies are also significant. We look forward to working with the policymaking community to create the investment conditions we need to replicate the success of Hunterston at other sites across the country.”

Around 90% of the site is already under option, supporting energy transition projects such as HVDC cable manufacturing, the UK’s first hub for the manufacturing of gravity base structures, power generation and storage.