UK: Wirral Gets GBP 5 Million Funding for Its Offshore Wind Industry

Wirral Council’s Investment Strategy Team has secured £5 million of funding from the Regional Growth Fund, which was set up by the Government to stimulate sustainable growth across the country. The funds will allow infrastructure improvements to be made to port areas for the storage and assembly of wind turbines, for use in Irish Sea offshore wind developments, creating new employment opportunities for local residents.

The funding will also allow Wirral Council to offer targeted grants, encouraging inward investment and enabling local companies to diversify into manufacturing key supply chain components.

Cllr. Phil Davies, Leader of Wirral Council, explained:

“The success of Wirral Council’s bid is brilliant news for local businesses and has the potential to bring hundreds of jobs to the borough. Our proximity to the Irish Sea makes Wirral ideally placed to capture a share of this growing market; we have to ensure that local businesses are in a position to secure the maximum profits from an emerging sector, including jobs in manufacturing, infrastructure, engineering, fabrication, operations and maintenance.

“Working alongside key partners at Cammell Laird will ensure that we have the best possible team in place to maximise the impact of this funding.

“I am also delighted that Vauxhall Motors UK and Unilever have been awarded funding and offer my continued support to helping both companies to realise their ambitions.”

John Syvret CBE, Chief Executive Officer of Cammell Laird, said:

“I was delighted to hear the important news that Wirral Council has been successful in its Regional Growth Fund Bid. The emerging Offshore Wind Sector is very much a target market of Cammell Laird as it provides massive opportunities for growth in its business, which will undoubtedly create new job opportunities both within the core business and throughout our supply chain.

“Having now established the Marine Base on site with RWE, in support of the Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm, we look forward to the continuous improvement of key infrastructure, which will enable us to bid and deliver large scale projects in the Irish Sea round three phase.”

In 2011, Wirral Council unsuccessfully applied to the government’s £200m technology and innovation fund to develop a national hub for offshore renewable energy. This year’s successful bid aims to place the borough at the forefront of renewable energy enterprise, which is a rapidly growing multi-billion pound industry.

Round Three of the Regional Growth Fund closed in June and will see around £1 billion allocated to support business growth.

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Press release, October 22, 2012; Image: DONG Energy