OEUK: UK must accelerate offshore wind development to keep “world-leading” position

With one of the largest offshore wind fleets outside of China, and the largest floating wind farm anchored off the coasts of Aberdeenshire, the UK has held a clear competitive advantage in the wind market for almost a decade.

But despite our world-leading position in this emerging sector, we now risk falling behind, says Offshore Energies UK.

Supply Chain and People Director Katy Heidenreich says that unless development and approval processes are sped up, and the skills and expertise of the existing offshore oil and gas workforce are transferred, the UK could lose its early-mover advantage.

The UK currently has 13.8 GW of offshore wind capacity operational, another 6GW under construction, and a further 12.6GW with planning consent.

Whilst fixed bottom wind is now a mature industry, the scale of investment required means the UK must invest £12 billion ($12.87 billion) per year by 2030. The UK is in a global race for energy investment, and the Government aims to have 50GW of operational offshore wind and 5GW of floating wind in place by 2030. This marks a massive growth opportunity for UK jobs and the offshore energy supply chain.

So, how can the UK maintain its world-leader position in offshore wind and get ahead of the emerging floating wind opportunity? How can the UK make the most of the oil and gas industry’s existing expertise? What more can be done to bridge the gap between the oil and gas and wind supply chain? And how can the UK continue to win the vital investment needed to make this a success?

All of this and more will be discussed at OEUK’s first-ever Wind Breakfast; ‘Wind: Powering the UK offshore future’, in Aberdeen on June 27 at P&J Live, sponsored by Deloitte.

Attendees will have the chance to network, hear from a range of presenters investing in INTOG, ScotWind, and the Celtic Sea, and partake in a Q&A session with an expert panel.

Speakers include:

• Katy Heidenreich, OEUK (chair)
• Tim Pick, Former Offshore Wind Champion, Saultcombe
• Barry MacLeod, General Manager, Flotation Energy
• Adam Morrison, Country Manager UK, Ocean Winds
• Ewen MacLean, VP Commercial, Proserv
• Neil Wilkinson, BD Manager Offshore Wind UK, Aker Solutions
• Dr Andronikos, Offshore Wind Business Development Manager UK, Kafas, PIEMA, Shell

OEUK Supply Chain & People Director Katy Heidenreich said, “Offshore and floating wind provides the UK with a huge economic growth opportunity in the coming years. It’s a British success story we need to build on – and the oil and gas supply chain is critical to its delivery.

“For nearly a decade, we have been world-leading in this space, but we now risk falling behind as other countries ramp up competitive investment programs and introduce long-term energy policy that is stimulating growth.

“Governments and industry need to align on policy, regulation, and processes to make sure we can remain at the top of the leaderboard in this sector.

“We must work together to engineer for a successful, sustainable energy future that not only builds on our current offshore energy skills, but harnesses our existing supply chain for a healthy, diverse energy future.”