Offshore wind supply chain firms gather in Inverness

The DeepWind membership day has been organised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). It includes updates from developers and presentations on the emerging market in floating wind technology.

With the launch of SSE’s 588MW Beatrice offshore wind farm and the giant 950MW Moray East project under construction, the north of Scotland is at the forefront of the country’s offshore wind development

The billion-pound industry (Beatrice cost £2.4Bn and Moray East approx. £2.8Bn) offers significant opportunities for companies across the whole of Scotland. The DeepWind offshore wind cluster has been established by HIE and Scottish Enterprise to help Scottish companies tap into this booming market.

Edinburgh based EDP Renewables and Engie are the lead partners in delivering the Moray East offshore wind farm and its sister project, Moray West; two of the largest offshore wind projects in the world.

Equinor and Kincardine Offshore Wind Limited represent the largest floating offshore wind projects in the world with the Hywind and Kincardine projects respectively.     

The DeepWind Cluster membership day will be the first opportunity for Scottish companies to come together and explore collaboration to maximise opportunities for new jobs and turnover growth.

The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, the UK’s leading technology innovation and research centre for offshore renewable energy, will also be at the event.

They will outline how the new Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP), part of the UK’s Industrial Strategy, will help deliver jobs through increasing the productivity and competitiveness of DeepWind member companies.

Paul O’Brien, deep wind cluster manager at HIE said:

“This is new territory for HIE and Scottish Enterprise as we help create an energy industry cluster. The response from member companies and the support from developers such as EDPR and SSE has been amazing. They have embraced the DeepWind cluster concept and membership has grown tremendously. From a standing start in April this year it has now reached 150 members and this growth looks set to continue.”

Dan Finch, managing director, EDPR Renewables said:

“In order to deliver large scale commercial contracts in the Highlands we need to work together to realise the opportunities for regional businesses. Events such as these can help to support organisations, making sure that they are ready and able to provide the required services - at a competitive cost and scale.

“Other areas of the UK, such as Hull, have responded well to renewables development and benefitted massively in return. These opportunities lie in the Highlands and we are determined for them to be realised.”