East of England Businesses Invited to Explore German Offshore Wind Opportunities

East of England companies looking at investing and expanding into the German offshore wind market can meet experts from Germany Trade and Invest at a ”Doing Business in Germany” event which will be held at OrbisEnergy in Lowestoft on 3 November.

Germany Trade and Invest has partnered with OrbisEnergy to help establish itself as a partner for companies looking to work in the German market, promote the country as an attractive investment and business option for East of England businesses, and inform them about business opportunities and explain conditions for setting up business there.

Esther Frey, Germany Trade and Invest’s senior manager, and Michael Schnabe, senior manager, financing and incentives, will present the German sector’s future and incentives to encourage companies interested in exploring roles in the expanding market at the special event in Lowestoft.

Set-up support will also be outlined, covering clusters, networks, partners, and sites as well as available production and research and development funding options.

One-to-one sessions will also be available for companies planning involvement in the supply chain to German wind farms.

Interested businesses can also find out the experiences of a UK company with extensive experience of the German market. CWind business development manager Bruce Clements will give a presentation and answer questions.

Johnathan Reynolds, business development lead at OrbisEnergy, said UK supply chain businesses had much to offer the German market.

“We want to help our businesses expand and export their specialist services and skills in to the European market and are delighted to be able to build a special relationship with Germany Trade and Invest to equip UK businesses with the knowledge and confidence they need to make that move,” Reynolds said.

Esther Frey will make a presentation, ‘What Lies Ahead for the German Offshore Market’, which will overview wind energy in Germany – the largest wind market in Europe and third-largest in the world.

The first 3.5 GW of offshore capacity has already been connected to the power grid, supported by a legal framework and incentives scheme that triggered investment in the sector. Germany is now moving to an auction-based system, which Frey will outline.

The North Sea port of Cuxhaven is the key site for the German wind industry. Siemens chose the port last year as the location for a EUR 200 million investment in a wind turbine manufacturing plant that will create about 1,600 new jobs.

The event will take place when the Offshore Wind Supply Chain Special Interest Group (SIG) meets in OrbisEnergy, followed by a networking reception involving representatives of the offshore wind sector in the East of England and operators.

The following day, OrbisEnergy will stage an event to mark Offshore Wind Week with speakers from developers building farms off the Suffolk and Norfolk coast.