North East England Set to be Manufacturing Hub for Offshore Wind

Expansion in offshore wind could create up to 30,000 new jobs in manufacturing and bring £3 billion of investment to the North East. Californian energy giant Clipper Wind has already been attracted to invest at the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) at Blyth, which is emerging as one of the leading centers in the world for introducing new renewable technologies to the market, particularly offshore wind.

The Minister will officially unveil the building and equipment at NaREC where Clipper Wind plans to develop the world’s largest wind turbine, which will be almost ten times taller than the ‘Angel of the North’. He will also meet a number of other leading offshore wind technology companies and view new facilities being developed with major turbine blade firms, which are working to realize the UK’s massive expansion in offshore wind.

It’s estimated around 3000 extra offshore wind turbines will be needed to help the UK towards meeting its proposed EU target of 15% of total energy being generated from renewable sources by 2020.

Energy Minister, Malcolm Wicks said:

“The North East already has a wealth of skills and experience in the manufacturing sector to diversify in to the green energy market.

“The region is a pioneer in offshore wind. Blyth was the location for the first wind turbines to be subject to the full force of the weather and waves in the North Sea. The New and Renewable Energy Centre is setting a fantastic example and I hope many other manufacturing companies will recognize the opportunities a shift to a low carbon economy will create.

“Offshore wind will play a significant role in helping us meet our challenging targets for a massive increase in the amount of energy generated from renewables. With our plans to increase the financial support for offshore wind, it is further evidence of our commitment to make the UK one of the most attractive places to invest in green energy.”

Margaret Fay, Chairman of One NorthEast, said:

“The North East has always been recognized for its excellence in energy - coals and Newcastle is a connection made across the world. But now we are leading the way in renewables and combining that expertise with manufacturing. The New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) is working in partnership with Government, businesses and universities and emerging as one of the leading centres in the world for introducing new energy technologies to the market, particularly offshore wind. These strengths have helped attract Clipper Windpower from the USA to develop the world’s largest wind turbine in the region; the first stage in the creation of what we believe will be thousands of new jobs in manufacturing.

“We are well placed to spearhead the UK’s development of offshore wind farms. The region has the skills in the offshore sector, the ready-made sites along the rivers for companies to utilize and public sector research and development support to turn the region into a European hub for the fabrication, assembly and delivery of offshore wind turbines.”

As part of his visit to the North East, the Minister will also host a roadshow with local businesses to discuss how manufacturing can best compete in a global economy. The roadshow held in partnership with One NorthEast, the Regional Development Agency, will take place at the Baltic Centre in Gateshead with an audience of manufacturing companies. Delegates will be encouraged to discuss and debate how Government can help the manufacturing sector capitalize on the opportunities presented as the UK moves towards a low carbon economy.

Government is already supporting manufacturing through:
- The Manufacturing Advisory Service, which has helped companies to generate added value of £540 million

- The R&D Tax Credit, which has supported £16.6 billion worth of research and development expenditure since 2000

- The Science Budget, which will reach just under £4 billion by 2010-11, recognizing the critical role of the research base

- The Technology Programme, which is supporting over 600 Collaborative R&D projects across 40 technology areas

- The National Skills Academy for Manufacturing, launched in Jan 2007, aims to deliver courses designed by industry for industry, training 40,000 employees a year by 2012

Source: Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

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