A COMMUNITY campaigner has voiced his frustration at hitting a 'proverbial brick wall' when trying to find out how £9 million of public cash has been spent on the £1.4 billion cable manufacturing plant at Hunterston. 

David Telford, from Fairlie, submitted a freedom of information request to Scottish Enterprise asking about what the specific £9 million grant to XLCC was used for, but said he did not receive the detail he was seeking.

Mr Telford, a member of Fairlie Community Council, said the organisation had been trying to find out more information about the terms under which the money was paid out.

North Ayrshire Council gave planning approval last May for the XLCC site, which is said will employ up to 900 high-skilled permanent workers when fully operational.

The firm will also work with the council, Skills Development Scotland and local schools or colleges to deliver the £1.4 billion facility, with a new apprenticeship training centre launching in Irvine in June. 

XLCC secured a £9m grant from Scottish Enterprise in November for the Hunterston project, with the funding body's chief executive, Adrian Gillespie, saying it had "the potential to be transformational for the regional economy, and an extremely important addition to Scotland’s offshore renewables capability".

Mr Telford said: "Fairlie Community Council has been attempting to establish the terms under which the £9m taxpayer funded grant to XLCC Ltd will be paid out.

"The community council’s interest in all of this relates to the original advice from XLCC Ltd that they did not require any taxpayer’s money to facilitate this proposed development."

XLCC’s £1.4bn Hunterston cable manufacturing project is at an early stage, which limits the amount of information Scottish Enterprise can share for commercial reasons, Mr Telford was told. 

However, Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson, who lobbied for the XLCC plant to go to Hunterston ahead of Teesside, had shed some light on the position.

Mr Gibson said he had contacted Scottish Enterprise to seek more details on the £9m investment and had been told the following by the organisation's head of corporate affairs:

"The grant awarded to the company is based on securing large scale embedded inward investment and creating full time jobs at Hunterston Port in North Ayrshire.

“The funding support demonstrates the commitment of both Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government to land this project that is critical to meeting the UK’s growing demand for high-voltage, direct current power transmission.  

“It sends an important signal to the investment market about public sector commitment to the project, helping drive further support and investment into this transformational project for Scotland, as well as allowing the company to progress key aspects of the overall project including for example, remedial groundworks."

“As you would expect, the grant is conditioned, part of which involves the company committing to the Scottish Government’s approach to Fair Work and Net Zero.  

“It is worth noting that payment of the grant is triggered primarily on meeting agreed levels of eligible capital expenditure and sustaining new jobs created at the Hunterston site and will be paid retrospectively on meeting the key agreed milestones.”

XLCC have been contacted for comment.