Another ‘big’ Labour election promise worth titchy amount as Scotland’s share and might improve only 2 or 3 harbours

By Professor John Robertson

They did something comparably thick when they promised to increase GP appointments and, when you worked out Scotland’s 8% share, it was a less than a half of 1% increase.

Here it’s a whopping £1.8 billion ‘Scotland’s facilities will benefit from‘ so, 8% for us, £144 million.

The new Stornoway harbour alone, just completed and paid for by the Scottish Government, cost £60 million.

Gee I wonder how much the Scottish Government has already committed to in its Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26 : Energy and Manufacturing?

  • Heat Network Fund – £300 million
  • Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme – £60 million
  • Heating in Buildings (Formally Energy Efficient Scotland Domestic programmes) – £590 million
  • Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund (Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme) – £200 million
  • Green Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation Scheme – £200 million
  • Heat in Buildings Grants and Loans (formerly Heat in Buildings Capital Investment) – £344 million
  • Clyde Mission Heat Decarbonisation Fund – £25 million
  • Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund – £144 million
  • Energy Transition Fund – £75 million
  • Emerging Energy Technologies Fund (EETF) – including hydrogen and CCS – £180 million
  • Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund – £26 million

Total: almost £2 billion

So, from Labour, 7.2%.

Sources:

https://www.hebrides-news.com/handover-stornoway-new-deep-water-port-24424.html

https://www.gov.scot/publications/infrastructure-investment-plan-2021-22-2025-26-programme-pipeline-update-september-2022/pages/8/

12 thoughts on “Another ‘big’ Labour election promise worth titchy amount as Scotland’s share and might improve only 2 or 3 harbours”

  1. Let’s hope that the Scottish electorate have noticed the already abandoned Labour promises and realise that, if change is to come, then Labour’s word isn’t worth tuppence. Any change they bring to Scotland will definitely not be for the better.

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    1. Let us hope the Scottish electorate do indeed notice, Kelticgirl! Which makes me wonder how they are to notice, if they are not keeping up with the excellent work being done here on Talking up Scotland? Where else is the Labour”promises”, and the tories being held accountable? This information put out on Talking Up Scotland needs to be spread far and wide to all the soft voters and those who do “not take an interest in politics “!

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  2. I think you have sussed out how they arrived at the notional allocation to Scotland. Labour, being an English/British nationalist party assumes the Paddies, Jocks and Taffies are just ‘English’ like the Geordies, Tykes, Scousers, Cockneys etc and so only the data for England is used on which they base their figures, assuming the North of Ireland, Scotland and Wales are the same.

    What this illustrates is how little influence Scottish Labour has on the Labour manifesto.

    More cynically, Labour could just be adopting the hate-the-Jocks attitude of Ms Kemi Badenoch when she dismissed out-of-hand the request by the Scottish Government for Postmasters in Scotland to be included in the compensation legislation scheme on a UK wide basis. The reason for the request was a) to speed things up and b) the number of cases in Scotland was relatively small. It was a pragmatic request. Ms Badenoch’s contemptuous reponse was, in essence, “Fuck off and do it yourselves.” Yes, we are Better Together!!!!!! NOT!!!!!

    Alasdair Macdonald

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    1. If bluelabour get in power, by the end of their 5 years of completely wrecking the economy, £144 million won’t even get you a loaf of bread!!!

      JB

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  5. Dundee port is owned by the Canada government school teachers pension fund its trading name is the public sector pensions investment board which at first glance tricks people into thinking its the British public sector pension fund but its not its Canadian , Forth ports Edinburgh is also owned by this Canadian public sector pension fund , this is when you realize the conservative party really have sold off everything and privatised everything in the UK and its mostly foreign owned now so there is next to no investment just take take take like what we are seeing has transpiried with water companies in england.Yes you can ask the reasonable question why has westminster sold off all the ports to private overseas companies and then decided to spend billions repairing the very ports they have already sold off ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Sector_Pension_Investment_Board

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    1. KEEP UP THIS GREAT WORK
      WE NEED EVERY SINGLE BAD JUDGEMENT AND SELLOFF BY THESE ENGLISH TOFF ROGUES
      THEY ARE SELLING OFF ANY AND ALL SCOTTISH ASSETS

      WE MUST GET AWAY BEFORE CHARLIE BOY SELLS OFF HIS CHUNK OF SCOTLAND

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  6. So ‘needy’ Scotland should be grateful for Labour’s promises?Promises of not very much when put in the context of all that’s already happening here in terms of investments, private and public, in port infrastructure. The major investment in Stornoway has been mentioned but there is so much more!

    As the press makes much of Labour’s not so big promise, the information below will never be aggregated and amplified by BBC Scotland nor by the Union supporting mainstream media. Might give voters in Scotland ideas above their station!

    Aberdeen South Harbour development: Port of Aberdeen’s £420 million private investment project completed in 2023.

    ‘The transformational £420 million expansion project of Aberdeen South Harbour has been completed and the Port of Aberdeen – Scotland’s largest port, is now fully operational.’

    ‘The expansion project has represented the UK’s largest marine infrastructure project.’

    Bob Sanguinetti, CEO, Port of Aberdeen said: “The expanded Port of Aberdeen will play a pivotal role in supporting energy, trade and tourism growth across the region, and Scotland more widely, while supporting increased jobs and investment for decades to come.”

    See: http://www.infrastructure-intelligence.com/article/sep-2023/£420m-port-aberdeen-crowned-scotlands-largest-port

    Now freeports are controversial but Scotland’s two Green Freeports are already committing to invest in upgrading marine port infrastructure.

    Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport: ‘The newly formed Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport company includes Port of Cromarty Firth, Port of Nigg (Global Energy Group), Port of Inverness, Highland Deephaven and Port of Ardesier (Haventus). The Highland Council alongside over thirty regional and national businesses, public sector organisations and academic bodies have collaborated to support what is the most transformative project in the Highlands for decades.

    In a press release dated May 13, 2024: ‘Haventus secures £100 million credit facility from Scottish National Investment Bank and UK Infrastructure Bank’ to finance this: ‘Construction work underway to develop Ardersier Port energy transition facility, boosting offshore wind capability

    ‘The financing follows a £300 million capital commitment announced in 2023 by leading energy investment firm Quantum Capital Group, when Haventus began the redevelopment of Ardersier Port.

    ‘The facility will underpin the creation of a nationally significant infrastructure facility to support industrial-scale deployment of fixed and floating offshore wind. Haventus has taken a final investment decision and construction has now begun on the site, which includes the development of a new 650-metre quay wall and associated quayside.’ (Source: Haventus website’s ‘news’.)

    From Forth Green Freeport ‘s website (8 March 2024): ‘Primed by an initial £50 million private investment by the port’s owner, Forth Ports, Leith will deliver Scotland’s largest renewable energy hub on a 175-acre site’

    On a new riverside berth being built: ‘Once completed this summer, the berth will be able to accommodate the world’s largest offshore wind installation vessels and will feature a heavy lift capability of up to 100 tonnes per square metre (t/m2), backed up by 175 acres of adjacent land for associated renewables logistics, marshalling and manufacturing.’

    ‘The renewables hub in Leith is linked with Forth Ports’ ambitious plan to create a high-capacity FLOW (floating offshore wind) integration facility at the Port of Burntisland in Fife, taking advantage of the deep water, infrastructure and skills benefits of the Forth Estuary, as well as the Forth Green Freeport investment incentives package.’

    And more from the Forth Green Freeport (October 10, 2022): ‘Ambitious vision for Rosyth unveiled within Forth Green Freeport bid’ – ‘It includes plans for a new freight terminal, offshore renewable manufacturing and green power generating capacity. It will also enable development of large scale advanced manufacturing, skills and innovation onsite, alongside a proposed new rail freight connection. This vision and the associated economic and community benefits will boost Fife and the wider region, if the decision to designate the Forth as a green freeport is secured.

    Yet again from Forth Ports back on 28th November 2019: ‘The Port of Dundee confirmed as Marine Hub for major offshore wind project with EDF’

    ‘Construction of the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm is now underway following confirmation from EDF Renewables that financial close for the project has been achieved. Twenty-five (25) financial institutions are lending money to fund the wind farm which will supply enough low carbon electricity for around 375,000 homes.

    ‘All of the project’s 54 turbines will be assembled at the Port of Dundee before being sailed to the site and the Scottish engineering firm BiFab will build a number of the foundation jackets.’

    ‘Charles Hammond, Group Chief Executive of Forth Ports, said: “This is great news for Dundee and we look forward to working with EDF Renewables and Siemens Gamesa on this major development that will bring significant benefits to not only the City of Dundee and the port but the whole of Scotland. Continued investment in our facilities, skills and infrastructure along with our £10m industry-leading heavy lift quayside means the Port of Dundee is well placed to deliver this prestigious offshore wind infrastructure project.”

    From insider.co.uk on 14 December 2020: ‘New wharf being constructed as part of Port of Dundee £40 million upgrade – the work aims to secure future work in renewable energy and North Sea oil and gas.’

    ‘The Port of Dundee’s £40m investment programme has reached a significant milestone with the start of latest contract for the construction of a new wharf and land upgrades. The work is aimed to secure the port’s future in offshore renewable energy and North Sea oil and gas project and augments work carried out the port during 2018/2019.’

    ‘Dundee is currently the wind turbine hub for the construction of EDF Renewables’ and ESB’s major offshore wind farm, Neart na Gaoithe (NnG).’

    Then on the Ayrshire coast, the Peel Ports Group continues to promote its facilities at Hunterston: ‘Port Services: Strategically located port Hunterston PARC’s strengths lie in its location with its deep water port, Europe’s largest dry dock, on-site rail connectivity, national grid connections and its sheer size, which allows for a broad range of options for occupation.’

    And on smaller scales, from the Offshore Wind Scotland website (25 January 2023): ‘NnG Operations and Maintenance base opens its doors in Eyemouth’

    ‘The development of the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm has achieved a significant milestone today (Wednesday 25 January 2023) with the opening of its state-of-the-art Operations and Maintenance (O&M) base in Eyemouth, Berwickshire.

    ‘Alongside the O&M base, a high-quality berthing pontoon has been designed, constructed and installed in the harbour basin on the marine side of the harbour by Moray-based Inland and Coastal Marina Systems.’

    From the Montrose Ports website: ‘In 2019, Montrose was chosen as the onshore Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Base for the new 1,075MW 114-turbine Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm being built 27km off the Angus coast – a £3bn joint venture between TotalEnergies and SSE Renewables.’

    ‘August 2021 also saw the new dedicated 30m pontoon for Seagreen being awarded to Lossiemouth-based company, Inland & Coastal Marina System UK Ltd. The pontoon was completed in December 2021, providing crew vessels a dedicated mooring, near their O&M base in which to efficiently manage crew transfers to the offshore wind farm.’

    ‘In February 2022, Inch Cape Offshore Limited selected Montrose as the future operations and maintenance (O&M) base for its offshore wind farm – which will see up to 72 turbines located 15km off the Angus Coast. Initial work at Montrose’s South Quay will begin in 2023 with the construction of offices and a warehouse. A dedicated pontoon for crew transfer vessels will also be constructed along with the installation of dockside cranes and a communications mast, with the latest technologies in vessel fuelling being considered as an additional investment.’

    One could go on!

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