Humber’s Offshore Wind Supply chain group welcome game changing sector deal!
CEO of Team Humber Marine Alliance Mark O’Reilly.
“This sector deal is brilliant news for the Humber. It will unlock enormous investment in the supply chain and will be a huge boon to the region’s well-established offshore wind supply chain organisations which includes some of the most innovative skills and training providers in the industry.
“With the Humber having already established itself as an advanced offshore wind cluster along with our proximity to the North Sea and European offshore wind farms, we are uniquely placed to capitalise on the immense opportunities which will arise as a result of the sector deal, creating even more jobs and economic wealth for the region.
“The Humber provides a rich source of accredited suppliers already working with leading offshore renewable energy companies. The region is a growing centre for operations and maintenance activity and there is a broad base of businesses with capabilities from vessel operation to marine engineering to the supply of skilled technicians.
“Team Humber Marine Alliance has been at the forefront of building an advanced offshore wind supply chain for over 10 years. With strong industry support and close collaboration with partner organisations along with effective supply chain development programmes we have helped enable the cluster to compete on a national and international scale.
“Humber companies are also exporting their products and services internationally as far as the USA, Taiwan and China and we’ll see this activity increase as the world looks to us for our expertise.
“The sector deal will enable the Humber to cement its position a global centre of excellence in offshore wind.”
This Sector Deal builds on the UK’s global leadership position in offshore wind and seeks to maximise the advantages for UK industry from the global shift to clean growth, consistent with the Clean Growth Grand Challenge.
It will do this by:
- Providing forward visibility of future Contracts for Difference rounds with support of up to £557m, with the next allocation round planned to open by May 2019, with subsequent auctions around two years thereafter.
- The sector committing to increase UK content to 60 per cent by 2030, including increases in the capital expenditure phase.
- Increasing the representation of women in the offshore wind workforce to at least a third by 2030.
- Setting an ambition of increasing exports fivefold to £2.6bn by 2030.
- The sector will invest up to £250m in building a stronger UK supply chain, establishing the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) to support productivity and increase competitiveness.
ENDS