HIE’s Inner Moray Firth area manager, Audrey MacIver, shares her thoughts ahead of this year’s Highland Business Dinner on the region’s growing role in driving Scotland’s energy transition and wider economic opportunity.
I strongly believe in the value of close engagement with businesses and the role collaboration plays in driving sustainable growth and supporting job creation.
Each year, the Highland Business Dinner provides an important forum for partnership, investment and shared progress, offering the opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved and to look at what lies ahead.
Over the past year, we’ve seen developments across the Inner Moray Firth that have the potential to shape the economic future of the Highlands and Islands for decades to come.
Here in the Inner Moray Firth, we are seeing the region play an increasingly important role in Scotland’s transition to a net zero economy. This is supported by its strategic location, skilled workforce and established infrastructure, making it a natural hub for wind and wider energy developments.
One of the most significant projects underway is the development of the Ardersier Energy Transition Facility, which last year saw almost £4m of HIE funding approved as part of the Scottish Government’s wider strategic investment to develop the offshore wind supply chain.
What this means in practice is that, once developed by Ardersier Port (Scotland) Limited, part of Haventus, the site will become Scotland’s largest facility on the North Sea coast, supporting everything from manufacturing to deployment and servicing of offshore wind components.
This critical infrastructure will support both fixed and floating offshore wind projects, helping to strengthen supply chains and reinforce the region’s role at the heart of the energy transition.
Whilst we acknowledge the many headwinds impacting project delivery timescales, renewable energy represents one of the most significant economic opportunities the Highlands and Islands has ever seen, and it is vital that we continue to position the region to benefit from it.
Projects such as Ardersier will help create new, well-paid jobs and provide long-term career opportunities for young people, helping to retain talent locally.
Turning opportunity into lasting regional benefit relies on strong collaboration. HIE’s work spans business support, innovation, infrastructure and community development, all of which are essential to ensuring communities can fully capitalise on emerging economic opportunities while supporting sustainable population growth.
We are proud to support the Highland Business Dinner as principal sponsor because it reflects the collaborative approach that is needed to deliver projects of this scale and ambition. Strong partnerships between businesses, public bodies and communities will be central to unlocking transformational growth across the Inner Moray Firth and beyond.
The Highland Business Dinner is a chance to recognise progress, strengthen connections and continue important conversations about how we work together to secure a prosperous, sustainable future for the region.