The company planning to develop a £450million energy park on the Humber says the Government’s newly-announced strategy to strengthen the UK’s position in the offshore wind industry is dependent on providing the facilities which can attract major turbine manufacturers and their supply chains.
Able UK is awaiting a decision from the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin on its plans for AMEP (Able Marine Energy Park) covering 865 acres on the South Bank of the Humber, providing state-of-the-art quayside facilities purpose-built for the manufacture, assembly and installation of offshore renewable technologies and creating 4,000 jobs directly.
Neil Etherington, group development director with Able UK said: “The strategy is certainly another step in the right direction and it is both candid and pragmatic. Of course, the very fact that the Deputy Prime Minister nick Clegg and Energy Secretary Ed Davey chose to launch the strategy in Lincolnshire underlines the importance of the Humber in delivering the Government’s ambitions to attract billions into the UK economy and provide tens of thousands of jobs.
“As the strategy points out the UK leads the world in installed offshore wind capacity—but up to now none of principal components for the turbines have been manufactured here.
“We will only change that imbalance if we can offer facilities tailor made for the industry, able to attract the major international players and draw in supply chain companies. It is all very well having the biggest market but if we have to rely on imported products the benefits are hard to see and the sceptics would be entitled to ask some pretty searching questions.
“The key challenge facing the offshore wind industry is to reduce costs and the best way of achieving that is through a multi-user facility which can generate a cluster of both turbine manufacturers and their suppliers, large and small. “
[mappress]
Press release, August 5, 2013; Image: able