Proactive Investors - Peel Ports has warned green upgrade projects across UK docklands are facing “significant delays” due to mounting regulatory issues.
As the industry looks to cut carbon emissions and expand to meet the needs of the energy transition, chief executive of the UK’s second largest port operator Claudio Veritiero said under-resourced regulatory bodies and slow consent was hampering efforts.
“You’ve got regulators that are not well-resourced enough,” he told the Financial Times, echoing concerns across the industry that staff numbers at the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) were too low, leaving years-long waiting lists.
He continued: “You’ve got legislation that’s been brought in that’s measuring everything to within a gnat’s whisker of nothing.
“Whether it’s a planning application, or all of the consenting that goes with it, projects are taking an inordinate amount of time to get delivered.”
He said such delays meant the UK’s largest proposed roof-mounted solar farm at the port of Liverpool, announced earlier this year alongside E.ON (LON:0MPP), would take four years to come online.
Similar grid connection issues were also affecting plans to fully electrify a £10 million Stellantis (LON:0QXR) logistics hub at the site, he said.
These were among a string of other project delays, as UK ports are eyed up to play a major part in supporting aims to boost offshore wind capacity.
The MMO warned last month it was not receiving enough funding to employ lawyers to deal with complex port planning requests.
Britain's new government has vowed to invest £1.8 billion in upgrading ports to support the energy transition, however Veritiero's warnings add to growing concern that such projects face "regulatory drag".