In the North East of Scotland, Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University (RGU) has partnered with Peterhead Port Authority to embed sustainability across one of Europe’s most strategically located energy and fishing ports. The two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) will see Aberdeen Business School work alongside the port authority to develop management tools, assess energy transition technologies and strengthen long-term competitiveness. For a port shaped by oil, gas and fishing, the collaboration signals a deliberate repositioning towards lower-carbon cargo and energy markets.
The initiative comes as the Peterhead Port Authority seeks to consolidate its historic role in offshore logistics while preparing for hydrogen, renewables and carbon capture activity. With more than 400 years of maritime heritage and record fishing landings valued at GB£341 million in 2025, the port remains central to the local economy. The RGU partnership aims to ensure that operational practices, infrastructure planning and stakeholder engagement match emerging cargo and energy demands.
Embedding sustainability in a working port
“The port in Peterhead is central to the success of the town. This project includes listening to the future needs of local stakeholders and giving the port the infrastructure it needs to have a long-term future,” said David Gibbons-Wood, a senior lecturer in economics at the university’s Aberdeen Business School. The programme will deploy practical management approaches, including user needs analysis, stakeholder engagement and sustainability appraisal. The stated objective is to enhance operational efficiency while safeguarding long-term commercial performance in a tightening regulatory and environmental landscape.
Energy transition technologies will form a core strand of the work. Shore power provision, electrified cargo-handling equipment and expanded renewable generation are among the options under review. A structured toolkit covering appraisal, change management and stakeholder validation will support decision-making. For cargo operators, the exercise could shape future service levels, berth specifications and emissions performance across Peterhead’s deepwater quays.
From oil and gas to hydrogen opportunity
Peterhead’s modern cargo profile was forged in the 1970s North Sea oil boom. Investment in deepwater berths and offshore supply infrastructure established the port as a logistics base for subsea construction, fabrication and heavy equipment movements. That legacy continues to underpin its project cargo capability. “We are delighted to be working with RGU and the KTP Centre team and look forward to supporting Ashley and drawing on his wide-ranging experience and knowledge as the project progresses,” said Keith Mackie, Peterhead Port Authority’s Head of Business Development – Energy Transition.
Attention is now shifting towards hydrogen and associated low-carbon industries. Proposals such as Evolution Hydrogen Peterhead envisage large-scale green hydrogen production using renewable electricity, targeting domestic use and export markets. Regional energy transition studies have pointed to significant investment potential across hydrogen, offshore wind and carbon capture. That has already been the narrative at neighbouring (and much larger) Aberdeen, where that port is eager to embrace offshore energy opportunities. For the port, such schemes could generate new import and export flows, specialist handling requirements and storage demand.
Rail ambitions tied to industrial growth
The hydrogen narrative also features in the Campaign for North East Rail’s case to reinstate rail links from Aberdeen to Peterhead and Fraserburgh. The campaign argues that future industries, including hydrogen production and carbon capture at nearby St Fergus, could underpin viable rail freight flows. Restoring connectivity would, it contends, reduce heavy road traffic and support a lower-carbon supply chain for emerging energy clusters.
Supporters suggest that hydrogen, sustainable fuels and captured carbon could create two-way freight movements, strengthening the business case for rail. While no firm freight volumes have been committed, the argument positions Peterhead as a potential multimodal energy hub. In that context, the RGU partnership reflects broader efforts to align port infrastructure, regional transport and industrial strategy around a decarbonised future.