UK: LEP Demonstrates City Region’s Supply Chain Efficiency at Global Offshore Wind

Liverpool City Region took centre stage at a major Offshore Wind Energy event opening in London on the 13th of June. 

Global Offshore Wind 2012 Conference & Exhibition attracts leading players among the world’s biggest suppliers to this rapidly growing sector.

The City Region’s presence has been facilitated and co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) as part of its Low Carbon Economy key sector growth strategy.

LEP Members Wirral-based Cammell Laird are principal exhibiting partners, alongside Peel Ports, Wirral and Knowlsey Councils.

The world famous Birkenhead business is a key asset in the City Region’s growing offshore wind supply chain hub. Cammell Laird is currently fulfilling a £5m contract won from RWE npower renewables to support construction of the Gwynt-y-Môr wind farm off the North Wales coast.

Cammell Laird infrastructure has been transformed in recent months to accommodate the huge engineering project. The contract is to provide port and quayside facilities for RWE to load and fit out the foundations for the offshore wind turbines. At 50-70 metres long, up to six metres in diameter – about the same as an Airbus A380 passenger jet – and weighing up to 700 tonnes, these are some of the largest steel monopiles ever used in the construction of a wind farm, anywhere in the world. The massive pylons will be shipped out from the yard to the development site in the Irish Sea.

The LEP stand at this week’s event, staged at ExCel in London’s Docklands, features striking aerial images showcasing the work at Laird’s and the huge facility’s proximity to other supply chain assets along the banks of the Mersey and further afield.

LEP Executive Director for Key Growth Sectors Mark Basnett said: 

“Cammell Laird’s development as a major supplier to the offshore wind sector is a great success story for Liverpool City Region and it’s one of significant relevance to the industry. Our presence at this major international event provides the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that the City Region as the most cost effective and efficient supply chain hub for companies serving the Irish Sea and wider offshore renewable energy markets.”

Cammell Laird Business Development Director David Williams said: 

“Our presence with the LEP at Global Offshore 2012 demonstrates the scale of what we can provide as well as our ambition in the energy sector. It also reinforces our standing as one of the world’s leading engineering companies with a commitment to generating wealth and new opportunities in the Liverpool City Region economy.” 

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Offshore WIND staff, June 14, 2012; Image: LEP