The Crown Estate can announce the dates of third series of UK supply chain events for the offshore wind industry.
Five events, being hosted with partners across the country, will bring together key industry players to promote the development of specialist supply chains, maintain confidence in the market and boost the drive to increase offshore renewable manufacturing and wind farm support service opportunities in the UK.
The UK already has a world leading offshore wind programme, producing around 1.8 GW a year and has a project pipeline of over 8 GW set to be delivered in the near future. This presents a substantial opportunity for investment and the creation of new jobs. The timely development of an effective supply chain will be essential to realising the UK’s ambitious offshore renewable energy targets.
Their position at the centre of the industry puts us in an ideal position to facilitate a series of events that provide a global view of the UK offshore wind programme, delve into the specific details of individual projects and enable networking through supply chain themed seminars and exhibitions. Key industry figures will come together to examine a range of supply chain components, from workforce skills and infrastructure, to the regulatory environment, which will together provide the building block for the offshore wind industry’s deployment.
The 2012 UK dates are:
Wales: Thursday 10 May, Llandudno;
Northern Ireland: Tuesday 15 May, Belfast;
England: Thursday 17 May, Newcastle, and Thursday 31 May, Birmingham;
Scotland: Thursday 24 May, All-Energy Day 2, Aberdeen.
The events are being delivered through partnerships between The Crown Estate, the UK Government and the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, enterprise agencies and renewable energy delivery bodies. A single region cannot deliver the requirements to support the scale of development alone; these events will create the strategic opportunity for local and regional companies to do business right across the UK.
Rob Hastings, Director of Energy and Infrastructure said: “This is a huge opportunity to play a role in providing new jobs, and inward investment to ensure that we remain the world leader in offshore wind deployment. We encourage businesses to attend from all sectors; the anticipated scope of manufacturing and job growth is akin to that of the oil and gas service industry and will offer opportunities both for businesses already in the sector as well as opportunities for those considering diversification.”
Research by Renewable UK estimates that by 2020 UK wind industry jobs will total some 57,000. The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) estimates that by 2020 the EU wind industry jobs will more than double from 154,000 to 325,000, which could lead to significant opportunities for the UK to export expertise internationally
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Offshore WIND staff, April 02, 2012