Feasibility funding granted for a renewable wave

The Port of Newhaven is taking a major step forward in its sustainability journey, with funding secured to explore the next phase of its green transformation.

Feasibility funding secured

Thanks to a £130,000 grant from the Newhaven Enterprise Zone (NEZ) Low Carbon Investment Fund, we will conduct detailed feasibility studies for a new development area just off McKinlay Way. These investigations will determine how best to deliver:

• a hub for renewable-energy production and storage,
• warehousing with solar-panelled roofs,
• lorry-parking and drivers’ facilities, and
• enhanced biodiversity and landscaping across the site as featured in our 2024 Port Masterplan (link) and allocated for employment use under the 2020 Lewes District Local Plan.

NEZ programme manager Michelle Connors said: “Newhaven Port is a key employer in the town and it’s important that we support its ambitions to expand and create more jobs.

“We’ve been impressed by the port’s efforts towards net zero and when this development is realised, it will strengthen Newhaven’s reputation as a hub for clean, green marine innovation.”

Why this matters

As a port with longstanding operations in freight, ferry and marine logistics, we recognise the challenge and an opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint. We already have a clear decarbonisation path published, and this new study forms part of that roadmap.

From the port’s perspective:

• It strengthens our futureproofing: expanding capability, modernising infrastructure, sustaining jobs locally.
• It deepens our role in the energy transition: we aim to power all our own energy needs via renewables by 2035, and our tenants’ by 2037.
• It connects with the town and region: by creating a green energy/renewables hub and logistics assets that benefit the wider East Sussex economy.

What the study will cover

The feasibility work will include:

• Ecology and landscape surveys (including wintering birds, bats, reptiles, invertebrates).
• Transport, drainage and lighting studies.
• Project-management and planning services costed and scoped.
• The public footpath diversion required to maintain access to East Beach will be handled sensitively.

“This site is the only remaining plot of land that allows the port to expand and safeguard its future.

“The benefits are clear – from supporting green energy, creating new jobs, the provision of freight drivers’ facilities and futureproofing Newhaven as a port town. Our studies are designed to nail down how we can best develop the site for the benefit of the port, the town and the environment.”

Captain Dave Collins-Williams, Port Manager

Already-delivered sustainability milestones

We are not starting from scratch. Recent achievements include:

• Reinstating freight-by-rail operations (2020) to reduce road haulage emissions.
• Litter-picking by kayak since 2021 — part of our biodiversity and clean-waters work.
• Switching our vehicle fleet from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and investing in EVs for use by our staff in and around the port estate.
• Installing solar panels on sheds and on the ferry-terminal and adopting a renewable energy tariff.

Looking ahead

With the feasibility work underway, the aim is to translate this into tangible infrastructure over the coming years. As the Port of Newhaven, our ambition remains:

• To be a gateway for low-carbon freight and energy flows,
• To create significant employment in the region around green logistics and production,
• To operate a port that not only serves the town of Newhaven but helps shape the region’s energy-transition future.