Hunterston Port and Resource Centre (PARC) could be redeveloped for use as an LNG terminal, combined cycle gas turbine power station or train-manufacturing plant, Peel Ports has revealed.

The port operator, which owns and operates Hunterston PARC in North Ayrshire, Scotland, has set out its vision and how it intends to develop the site over the next twenty years in a new master plan.  The document states that the port could also be used for modular manufacturing, concrete batching, marine construction and decommissioning, aquaculture and plastics recycling and storage.

Andrew Hemphill, port director at Peel Ports Clydeport, said: “No other single site in the UK offers Hunterston’s unrivalled combination of deep-water, extensive land area and transport links.

“This historic industrial site has the potential to transform Scotland’s prospects in a variety of key economic sectors, providing jobs, skills development, import and export opportunities for decades to come.”

Obsolete role

Following the UK Government’s move towards renewable resources, Hunterston Port’s role as a major importer of coal, previously burnt in Scottish power stations, is now obsolete.

Hunterston comprises a 300-acre brownfield footprint, deepwater, and rail connections.

As well as its vision for growth, the master plan outlines how the port could make changes to land use, what environmental measures will be taken, how people will be consulted and how the plans relate to economic, transport and planning policy.

A six-week consultation process will now take place.

By Rebecca Jeffrey