Former secretary of state for business Andrea Leadsom MP lent support to the bid for a green freeport in the north-east, which advocates say could create up to 32,000 jobs.
Ms Leadsom, who now chairs the business and energy committee of Conservative backbenchers, said the region has a “massive role to play” as the UK drives efforts to reach net zero.
Speaking in Westminster on Wednesday, Ms Leadsom addressed a breakfast event hosted by Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid as the bid consortium took their campaign to London.
She told a cross-party group of parliamentarians and business figures that “net zero is the biggest opportunity” for jobs and growth in the UK, predicting that the green economy will grow from 300,000 to three million jobs by 2030.
Two green freeports to be created by next year
The drive comes as the Scottish and UK Governments are working to create two green freeports in Scotland by next year. The special economic zones will offer tax breaks and lower business tariffs to stimulate investment.
The North East Scotland Green Freeport consortium is being led by the Port of Aberdeen, Peterhead Port Authority, Aberdeen International Airport, and the region’s two local authorities.
The group say their plan would secure the area’s role at the heart of the global energy transition, supporting up to 32,000 jobs and boosting the regional economy to the tune of £8.5 billion over the next decade.
Another consortium, Opportunity Cromarty Firth (OCF), is also leading a charge to gain status for the Inverness and Cromarty Firth area.
Highlighting the opportunities for the north-east, Ms Leadsom added: “The green economy is a massive story of growth and opportunity. You’ll have apprenticeships, people transitioning from offshore oil rigs to offshore wind farms and skilled engineers retraining.”
Plans also include bringing new manufacturing to Aberdeen that would support the offshore wind and hydrogen sectors, and accelerate carbon capture projects on the Buchan coast.
‘Government needs to get out of the way’
Ms Leadsom said the latter technologies are “mission critical” to reaching net zero by 2050.
“Government needs to get out of the way, it should facilitate and push for things to happen, create the freeports and all the incentives they offer but then get out of the way and let business deliver,” she continued.
Mr Duguid also reaffirmed his commitment in supporting the bid, and the “immense benefits” he said the proposals could bring.
“This is a truly exciting period and I will continue to push both of Scotland’s governments to support this transformational bid,” he added.
“In my own constituency, a freeport would deliver unprecedented investment opportunities in addition to our bustling port, our thriving fish market and the Acorn CCS and hydrogen project plans at St Fergus.
“A freeport in the north-east would harness the power of our region’s workforce, create thousands of jobs and grow our established and emerging sectors.”
Conversation