NOF, the business development experts for the energy sector, is welcoming an international delegation to North East England to demonstrate the industrial and economic benefits of the region’s established offshore wind cluster.
Taking place between 26-28 June, the visit of nearly 50 government officials, industry leaders and global stakeholders from 21 countries, has been organised in partnership with the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the World Bank Group.
The visit is part of GWEC and the WBG’s collaboration to support the development of offshore wind in emerging markets, which includes fact-finding missions.
The delegates from countries including Argentina, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam, will tour North East England, visiting Energi Coast companies that are well-established offshore wind suppliers and have been instrumental in creating a world-class offshore wind hub in the region.
North East England has been at the forefront of the offshore wind industry since its inception and is recognised as a key strategic location to service the European and Global market.
In addition to being home to the UK’s first offshore wind farm, off the coast of Blyth, Northumberland, it has developed an extremely innovative and successful integrated supply chain, which is technologically driven and experienced in delivering large scale projects across the sector, supporting several thousand jobs in the region.
Represented by the region’s offshore wind cluster, Energi Coast, the supply chain has matured to be able to deliver the majority of what is required for an offshore wind farm, both at design, construction and O&M phase. This expertise ranges from foundations, cables, installation, training and specialist subsea services. It also has extensive port facilities and enviable infrastructure attracting interest from key players around the world keen to set up business in the UK.
During the visit the delegation will visit key locations and companies including the Port of Blyth where they will tour facilities operated by DeepOcean, Global Marine, Royal IHC and Port Training Services.
They will also be shown the innovation taking place at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, which is located at the port, which is developing next generation technologies for the sector in partnership with supply chain companies.
In the south of the region the delegation will visit JDR, Offshore Structures Britain, RelyOnNutec and Van Oord / MPI Offshore as well as attending Hartlepool College where they will hear presentations from PD Ports and the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
Joanne Leng MBE, Deputy Chief Executive of NOF and Deputy Chair of Energi Coast, said: “The North East of England is an exemplar of a region that has developed a mature cluster of offshore wind activity, led by technology-focused companies. Emerging markets can look to this region and see how its industry has evolved to meet the requirements of offshore renewables while delivering economic and value-added benefits to the area.
“We are very proud to welcome the GWEC delegation to North East England to showcase what the cluster has achieved, which will hopefully support the delivery of offshore wind programmes and supply chain development in emerging markets around the world.”
Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC said: “We are pleased to be bringing this high-level delegation to North East England so they can experience first-hand the benefits that a thriving offshore wind industry can bring in terms of supply chain investment, jobs and of course clean, cheap energy.
“We hope that these delegates will bring the knowledge they acquired from this study tour back to their home countries to start building up new offshore wind markets across the world and contribute to lowering carbon emissions. This is just the first stop on our journey to take offshore wind global through our cooperation with the World Bank Group.”
About NOF – Business development experts for the energy sector
We work on behalf of our members and our network of partners to put companies of all sizes in touch with the best and most innovative supply chain businesses in the UK
We have global, consultancy and strategic partners, which includes operators, developers, tier one contractors, industry analysts and trade bodies who help to support our members business development activities.
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- Business development
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Through our service delivery we help to identify opportunities and make valuable connections between businesses in the global energy sector
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About GWEC
GWEC is a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind sector. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organizations and institutions in more than 80 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national and regional wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, finance and insurance companies.
Keep up to date with GWEC and receive the latest data and insights on the global wind industry on Twitter, LinkedIn and by subscribing to the Newsletter.
GWEC and the World Bank Group work together on efforts to develop offshore wind in emerging markets. This follows the World Bank Group’s launch of a new programme to fast-track the adoption of offshore wind energy in developing countries, supporting by funding from the UK Government.
GWEC coordinates with the WBG’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on efforts to accelerate the uptake of offshore wind in emerging markets.
ESMAP is a partnership between the World Bank Group and 18 partners to help low and middle-income countries reduce poverty and boost growth, through environmentally sustainable energy solutions. The IFC is the world’s largest global development institution focused on exclusively on the private sector in developing countries.
About GWEC Offshore Wind Task Force
The GWEC Offshore Wind Task Force was established in September 2018 and is chaired by Alastair Dutton, who worked for the UK Crown Estate, BEIS and BP. Its purpose is to advise governments on regulatory frameworks and tendering systems for offshore wind; measure and highlight the economic and social benefits of offshore wind and the deployment of local supply chains; foster technological innovation and the testing of new turbines, installation techniques and operations and maintenance (O&M) strategies, including promoting the benefits of digitalisation; spread best practices and transfer knowledge from Europe and other established markets to new and developing markets; and, create appropriate forums to promote the growth of the global offshore wind industry, from seminars and technical workshops to conferences and exhibitions. Henrik Stiesdal, the former Siemens Windpower CTO and the “father” of the offshore wind energy industry, acts as GWEC Ambassador for the Offshore Wind Taskforce.
