SAMS news room

SAMS has taken another step on its path to Net Zero by installing six new electric car charging points on site.

The charging points will be used by staff and students, encouraging a move to electric vehicles, but will also be available to members of the public, including more than 5,000 people who visit SAMS’ Ocean Explorer Centre every year. 

Local firms Westech Electrical Ltd and GH Groundworks carried out the electrical and chargepoint installation and groundworks. Swarco Ltd completed the commission and supplied the three charging pillars, each with two 22kw charging points. 

Funding came from a UHI Capital Grant and Energy Saving Trust. 

SAMS Deputy Director Prof Axel Miller said: “We wanted to provide charging facilities for the increasing number of electric vehicles on site. We also felt it was important to make more charging points available to people living and travelling in the west Highlands, where the network of such facilities continues to grow.  

“This was also an important step in our Net Zero ambitions and has been a key development in our Carbon Management Plan. 

“I am grateful to the funders and to the facilities team at SAMS for overseeing the installation.” 

The charging points are available to anyone who has a ChargePlace Scotland card, or equivalent. 

Following the purchase of a Polaris all-terrain vehicle to replace a diesel equivalent, SAMS took delivery of a Nissan Leaf electric car in 2020. The institute was also declared a Cycle Friendly Employer this year after opening new shower and changing facilities and a cycle shed. 

SAMS holds the International Standards Organisation (ISO) 14001:2015 standard for environmental management and the ISO45001: 2018 standard for health and safety. This is in addition to the ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 quality marks already achieved for many aspects of its commercial activities. 

The awards recognise a long-held commitment to safety in the workplace and to reducing environmental impacts and waste at the lab. The changes are part of SAMS’ new environmental management plan to overhaul many of its practises and is partly informed by a staff-led sustainability group, Sea Greens.