Commenting on the Government’s commitment this evening to provide £960 million for a Green Industries Growth Accelerator to support clean energy manufacturing in the UK, the Co-Chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) Richard Sandford said:
"The measures announced by the Government today will help us to scale up the UK’s offshore wind supply chain faster in the face of unprecedented international competition for investment in new manufacturing facilities. This will not only enable us to supply projects in UK waters but also to export our world-class offshore wind products and services globally, where they are already in great demand.
“The UK already has many strengths in areas such as designing and manufacturing turbine blades and cables for offshore wind farms, as well as providing services such as planning and designing new projects, assembling turbines and providing crew transfer vessels. Overall the offshore wind supply chain could be worth over £92 billion to the UK’s economy by 2040.
“OWIC is already working with RenewableUK and the wider sector to develop an Industrial Growth Plan to identify which parts of the supply chain we should focus on, with an emphasis on areas where we already have a strong competitive advantage. The Government’s commitment to a Green Industries Growth Accelerator can help us to ensure that the UK retains its position as a global leader in cutting-edge offshore wind technology.
“Growing Britain’s offshore wind industry will enable us to create tens of thousands of new jobs and strengthen our energy security, as this technology becomes the backbone of our future clean energy system”.
