North East England’s offshore wind cluster, Energi Coast, is starting a project which aims to produce a comprehensive report of the region’s supply chain capabilities in the offshore wind industry.
The supply chain mapping project will identify the range of capabilities available throughout North East England to support offshore wind developers and contractors identifying locations with extensive supply chain expertise to base onshore operations, or to tap into the collaborative capabilities of North East England companies, Energi Coast said.
In addition, the project aims to identify innovations being developed and where transference of skills from other sectors can be utilised for the future of the offshore wind industry, as well as pinpointing any gaps that might exist in the region’s capabilities.
The project will be managed by energy sector business development organisation NOF working with a dedicated task group, which includes Energi Coast Chairman James Ritchie, and representatives from developers Equinor, RWE and SSE Renewables, alongside GE Renewable Energy and ORE Catapult.
North East England has become a key region for the offshore wind industry both in terms of developments such as the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm and the RWE Sofia Offshore Wind Farm , and its supply chain cluster.
“We welcome this initiative, it presents a good opportunity to demonstrate what the region can deliver to the offshore wind industry,” Halfdan Brustad, Vice President for Dogger Bank Wind Farm project, said.
“This project will assist us in navigating the regions broad range of capabilities, which is deeply needed for us as new entrants. The Dogger Bank projects will be located at Port of Tyne, and this mapping will give us a valuable insight into the capabilities and innovation potential for our industry.”
Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Project Director David Few said that the 1.4 GW project has ambitions for more than 50 per cent UK content.
Few has encouraged the North East England suppliers to engage with the supply chain mapping work which would ”give as broad a picture of the region as possible and understand what goods and services can be sourced from the area.”