Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Industries has formally opened a £350 million subsea cable factory at the Port of Nigg in Scotland, Offshore Energy reported. Described as the first UK factory for high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) subsea cables, the facility sits within the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport boundary and represents an investment in the Highlands economy.
The plant occupies a 15-hectare site and has 58,000 square metres of floor space. It will manufacture 525 kV XLPE HVDC subsea transmission cables, as well as subsea inter-array cables. Sumitomo president Osamu Inoue said the factory would provide a production base for reinforcing Britain’s electricity transmission infrastructure, supporting renewable energy deployment and helping maintain a dependable long-term energy supply.
According to Sumitomo, the facility is expected to create more than 200 skilled jobs locally, with its total employment impact projected to exceed 400 jobs across the wider UK supply chain. Training arrangements will include a model in which trainers pass on their expertise, alongside programmes for operators held in Japan. The employment figures remain company projections rather than a reported tally of positions already filled.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish government had invested £24.5 million in the factory’s construction to support employment and longer-term opportunities in the Highlands. He described the development as an endorsement of Scotland’s workforce and engineering capabilities, and said it would help advance offshore wind development while strengthening energy security.
The opening ceremony took place on 19 October, following the announcement of the factory in April 2023 and a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2024. It combined Scottish bagpipe performances with Kagami Biraki, a Japanese tradition involving the opening of sake casks using wooden mallets. Inoue also reaffirmed Sumitomo’s commitment to European interconnector and offshore wind projects, drawing on the company’s more than a century of subsea cable experience.