KING HEARS OF PETERHEAD’S AMBITIONS AT HEART OF ENERGY TRANSITION

During the visit, His Majesty toured Smith Quay and heard about major investment being made in infrastructure to support offshore wind and other energy projects, creating new opportunities for Peterhead and the wider North-East.

Peterhead Port Authority (PPA) is progressing plans to extend the existing 120-metre Smith Quay by approximately 80 metres, creating additional working space and allowing larger vessels to use the facility.

The development complements a £25 million investment by Maritime Developments Limited (MDL) in the Peterhead Energy Service Base (PESB) at the adjoining Smith Embankment.

The new base will include specialist infrastructure and equipment for offshore marine operations and flexible product handling, strengthening Peterhead’s ability to support increasingly complex offshore projects in the North Sea and internationally.

His Majesty met representatives of PPA, MDL and other organisations involved in Peterhead’s energy transition and heard how the town’s existing skills, supply chain and infrastructure can be adapted to support future industries.

Graeme Reid, Chief Executive of Peterhead Port Authority, said: “His Majesty’s visit was a tremendous honour for Peterhead Port and a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the scale of the economic opportunity that the energy transition presents for Peterhead and the wider North-East.

“For more than 50 years this port and the businesses around it have supported the North Sea energy industry. We have the skills, the experience, the supply chain and the infrastructure, and our task now is to build on those strengths for the next generation of energy development.

“Smith Quay is an excellent example of that. By investing in our infrastructure and working alongside companies such as MDL, we can ensure Peterhead is equipped to support major offshore projects and, importantly, that as much as possible of the resulting investment and economic benefit is retained here in the North-East.

“The energy transition is not about turning our backs on the industries which have made Peterhead and the North-East successful. It is about taking the expertise and infrastructure developed through decades of offshore energy and using them to create the industries and employment of the future.”

Derek Smith, MDL CEO and Founder, said: “I am hugely proud to welcome His Majesty to Peterhead and to share what this town means to MDL. This is where I was born, where I did my apprenticeship and where the business began – and it remains central to our future.

“Peterhead has always been defined by resilience and a deep connection to the marine and energy industries and these factors continue to shape our business today. The Peterhead Energy Service Base is a real statement of our long-term commitment to the town: its people, its port and the skills that have supported marine and energy industries here for generations.

“Through PESB, we are investing in specialist infrastructure and in the local expertise needed to support projects not just in the North Sea, but around the world. Our ambition is to build a centre of excellence for flexible product handling that creates lasting value for Peterhead and gives our customers the capability to take on increasingly complex offshore work.

“To have recently received our third Award for Enterprise – this time a King’s Award for Innovation – makes this visit all the more special. Innovation has driven MDL from the very beginning. It is how we help our customers find practical new ways to deliver offshore projects, make better use of existing assets and support the energy transition. To have that recognised in the town where it all started is something I and everyone at MDL are immensely proud of.

“We welcome His Majesty’s interest in the investment, skills and innovation helping to secure long-term opportunities for Peterhead and we are proud to play our part in that future.”

Peterhead has supported the offshore energy industry for more than 50 years and handles around 2,000 energy-sector vessel calls annually. Its deep-water facilities, extensive quayside space and established marine and engineering supply chain have enabled the Port to support the complete lifecycle of North Sea activity, from oil and gas exploration and production to subsea work, decommissioning and, increasingly, offshore renewables and new energy.

PPA is also a driving force behind the Peterhead Energy Transition Forum (PETF), which brings together industry, government, local authorities, skills providers and other organisations to ensure the opportunities presented by the transition translate into lasting economic benefits for the area.

The Forum is focused on opportunities including offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and associated infrastructure, alongside skills development, supply-chain growth and community wealth building.

Peterhead is particularly well positioned to support planned offshore wind developments in Scottish waters, providing facilities for the mobilisation, storage and handling of equipment during construction and for ongoing operations and maintenance.

The Port also has the potential to play an important role in carbon capture and storage. PPA has been examining the repurposing of its existing Tanker Jetty to handle bulk CO₂ imports by sea, supporting the development of carbon storage infrastructure in the North Sea.

Alongside its growing role in the energy transition, Peterhead remains the UK’s leading fishing port. More than 188,000 tonnes of fish worth £341 million were handled through the Port in 2025.

The combination of fishing, established offshore energy activity and investment in new energy infrastructure underlines PPA’s ambition for Peterhead to remain a nationally important centre for marine industry and employment for generations to come.