Is the city set for a green jobs bonanza?
Plus: Surfers kick up a stink; Local people in King's Birthday Honours; and international conference showcases city tourism
Green Freeport begins to show potential for growth in green jobs
Two major announcements could help to see high quality green jobs secured for Edinburgh in the journey to a successful and more sustainable economic future.
Firstly, Danish manufacturer Vestas said it had begun the process of gaining planning permission to build Scotland’s first factory making wind turbine blades, potentially creating hundreds of new jobs.
And within a day, Forth Green Freeport announced it was “open for business.” The Freeport, which includes Leith, Grangemouth, Burntisland and Rosyth, offers incentives to business, including tax breaks, to invest in the area.
What will it make? A new design of 115m-long offshore blades made mainly from composite fibreglass and resin. Three of them will power a turbine that generates on average enough electricity for around 13,000 homes.
Why is it important? Much of the equipment for Scotland’s renewable energy sector, particularly offshore wind, has been imported and securing a greater share of the supply chain locally has always been a major ambition. The process for manufacturing the blades is high-skilled work, requiring several hundred staff to produce them on a viable scale. Blade production is one of the most valuable parts of the turbine supply chain and the prospects for growth in the sector - with only two existing blade production plants in the UK - are thought to be significant.
So when does work start? Vestas cautions that a final investment decision will depend on greater certainty in orders, the news is important. A Vestas spokesman said: "The UK’s offshore wind sector has strong potential, and Vestas has identified the Port of Leith as a possible location for a wind turbine blade manufacturing facility. A final investment decision has not been made and will be based on several factors including the viability of the business case and the market outlook."
A rival bid? A Chinese company is also in the planning stages for a factory in Scotland but there are concerns around international political tensions.
Big potential: The potential turbine blade manufacturing is an early indication of the potential of the Forth Green Freeport, and it’s role in generating highly-skilled manufacturing and energy jobs of the future. Forecasts indicate there is the potential to attract £7bn of private and public investment over the next decade, delivering Gross Value Added (GVA) of £8.4bn. This could generate up to 38,350 well paid, highly skilled, green jobs, with almost 19,000 of these being direct gross jobs linked to the FGF’s target sectors and tax sites.
What they say:
Dame Susan Rice, Chair of Forth Green Freeports, confirmed “It is an important time for the Green Freeport as we move through the business case development phase to delivery for Scotland. Through innovations in offshore wind manufacturing, assembly and commissioning, alongside innovative shipbuilding, modular assembly and hydrogen manufacture, the country’s net zero targets can be boosted by Forth Green Freeport.”
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Policy Director Joanne Davidson said: “The Forth Green Freeport was something we were extremely supportive of, as it has the potential to help create sustainable, growing economy for the entire area. Thousands of the highly-skilled new jobs it is forecast to create will be in Edinburgh, and through its combination of incentives for investment, it is expected to attract £7 billion of investment over the next decade.”
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
KICKING UP A STINK: Surfers Against Sewage begin an election tour of the UK by bringing their battle bus to Porty Beach tomorrow as they aim to drive the issue of sewage dumping up the political agenda. The Water of Leith is one of the worst waterways in Scotland for sewage dumping as revealed by the Inquirer last year. A hustings will take place on the beach with candidates from most of the main parties at 7-8.30pm tomorrow. Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, said the election was “a pivotal moment in the fight to end sewage pollution”.
VOLCANIC POLLUTION: A volcanic eruption in Iceland is being blamed for a rare spike in sulphur dioxide pollution in Edinburgh. Experts at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology believe the eruption combined with strong winds were responsible for the unusual readings recorded in St Leonard’s Street in the Southside at the end of last month. They said there was no risk to public health.
ROCK ON: The operators of London’s 02 Arena say their new Edinburgh venue will fill a “massive gap in the market” when the £80m venue opens its doors in 2027. The company said it considered sites in Leith and Meadowbank before opting for Edinburgh Park for the 8,500-seat arena. Work is due to start next year after the project won planning permission last week.
CONGRATULATIONS… to Hannah Beaton-Hawryluk, who quit her job to help Ukrainians living in Edinburgh (MBE); Dnipro Kids founder and Chairman Steven Carr (MBE) for his work supporting Ukrainian children; literary agent and founding director of the Edinburgh Book Festival Jenny Brown (OBE); Bob Easson of Edinburgh Accies and Basketball Scotland (BEM); respiratory medicine specialist Professor Moira Whyte, of the University of Edinburgh (Damehood) and all the other inspirational individuals from the Capital recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.
ARTS WARNING: Fringe chief executive Shona McCarthy has warned that cultural events have become “unattractive” to corporate sponsors, as she defended Baillie Gifford’s continuing sponsorship of the Fringe’s year-round community engagement work. She spoke days before Scottish arts leaders said the country’s reputation as “an international cultural leader” was at risk due to an ongoing public funding squeeze, as well as Barclays pulling its sponsorship of a series of music festivals, including Bestival, Latitude, Download, following protests over its ties to defence companies supplying Israel.
AIRPORT PAY: Around 250 ground crew working at Edinburgh Airport have secured a pay rise after Menzies Aviation agreed a deal which will increase their pay by 7.4%.
MEADOWBANK HOMES: More than 700 homes, with 35% classed as affordable, are to be built as part of the ongoing development around the old Meadowbank Stadium site. The flats and houses will be built beside the new Meadowbank Sports Centre with the development also including a new GP surgery.
BEST BUILD: The developers behind plans to transform the former Caledonian Brewery site into sustainable housing have won recognition for their ‘green’ homes project at Rowanbank Gardens in Costorphine. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors named Artisan Real Estate initiative the best residential development in Scotland.
THE BUSINESS
SFE chair stands down
Scottish Financial Enterprise, the Edinburgh-based body which represents Scotland’s financial services sector is to have a new Chair. John McGuigan has announced his intention to stand down, with his Deputy Sue Dawe set to be confirmed as Chair at an EGM next month.
Mr McGuigan took on the role in November 2022, having joined the board in 2016. Prior to this, he spent nine years with Standard Life and Phoenix Group. Ms Dawe is managing partner for financial services at EY Scotland, and joined the SFE board in 2019.
BUSINESS BUZZING: An unusual Edinburgh bakery business is looking to expand after securing specialist support from Business Gateway. The Insect Café was launched by Nahla Mahmoud last year and its products, which use four varieties of insects in the baking process, range from nutty cricket brownies to spicy mealworm cakes. Nahla’s bakes are high in protein, use no butter, preservatives or artificial ingredients, and have a low carbon footprint. She is securing to secure café premises as well as selling at city markets.
GOLD STANDARD: Edinburgh Napier University has received a Gold Award as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, joining 11 other institutions throughout the UK and one of just two in Scotland to receive the accolade. The NCSC is part of GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence security and cyber security agency.
TOURISM SHOWCASE: An international business tourism organisation is to hold its inaugural “Inspiration Summit” in Edinburgh this year, providing an opportunity to “showcase” the city’s attractions to international business tourism bookers. euromic, the leading association of Destination Management Companies say the event will run from October 28th-31st, and bring together top industry professionals.
Richard Knight – VisitScotland’s Director of Marketing – The Americas, Business Events said “We are delighted that euromic has chosen Edinburgh and the wider Scotland to host the inaugural Inspiration Summit in 2024. The opportunity to showcase so many of the great venues and activities that Scotland has to offer is fantastic and it will also provide a platform for the industry to connect and develop many opportunities for the future.”
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
OPEN GARDENS: The Stockbridge and New Town Gardens Open Day on Sunday offers a chance to explore 10 gardens which are not usually open to the public. Each garden is different and well worth exploring. They include Royal Circus Gardens North (RCGN), which were part of William Playfair’s original designs for Royal Circus. Part of Scottish Gardens Open for Charity 2024, tickets which include entry to all 10 gardens are available on the day at RCGN, costing £8.50 each (children free), with all proceeds going to charity.
PRIDE: Scotland’s oldest and biggest celebration of LGBT pride takes place in Edinburgh on Saturday, starting from 12.30pm. More on Edinburgh Pride here.
HIGHLAND SHOW: With 220,000 visitors expected at Ingliston between Thursday and Sunday, the Royal Highland Show can claim to be as big a draw as Taylor Swift! This year Scotland’s largest outdoor event will feature everything from TikTok’s sea shanty star Nathan Evans to chainsaw carving, a horse shoeing competition to an immersive honey tent. The head of the show David Tennant (no, not that one) is appealing for visitors to consider travelling by public transport given the inevitable congestion around the showground.
OUT OF THE BLUE: Imagine a world where robots take care of every human need, but everyone is unhappy. Duncan Kidd’s new play, presented by Flashback Theatre, is a comedy about what makes us human. Part of Leith Festival and Out of the Blue’s 30th anniversary celebrations, Made to Connect (Active Inquiry) is at the Dalmeny Street Drill Hall from Thursday to Saturday.
QUICK BITES
SPICE IS RIGHT: US brand Cinnabon famed for their popular icing covered cinnamon rolls, has announced that their first site in Scotland will open this summer in The Centre, Livingston.
PACIFIC TASTE: A new Pacific-fusion bar and restaurant is to open in Hanover Street in the city centre next month. Cabo is to be launched by the Bow Hospitality group and will be open seven days a week at 99 Hanover Street. The 70-seater venue will offer all day dining.
NEW OPENING: Heart and Bottle speciality coffee shop has opened on Colinton Road, at Morningside. It replaces previous occupiers The Bear's Larder and is situated directly opposite the Tesco Express at Holy Corner.