Photo: Ben Barden/Vattenfall

Reference: P/090-2012

Date 6 December 2012

Offshore wind sector seeks export boost

The UK’s successful offshore wind sector is promoting its expertise in Paris today, as 40 British firms seek new overseas trade.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will host the forum in Paris, which will bring together representatives from British and French companies as well as trade associations and representatives from the British and French Governments.

The Centres for Offshore Renewable Engineering (CORE) will also attend, along with a number of supply-chain companies, to represent six UK regions.

Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green said:

“The UK is emerging as a world leader in the offshore wind sector. We have skills to offer in construction, aerospace, marine and oil and gas and I want to make sure we continue to build on our success.

“Government is working to ensure that the right conditions are created for increased business investment in offshore renewable energy, securing new jobs and economic growth. As part of that, we need new players in the market, who have the muscle to make big investments.

“I welcome the Paris forum as a chance for UK and French firms to talk openly and productively about the different ways in which they can work together for the benefit of both UK companies and French inward investors.”

Dr. Gordon Edge, Director of Policy at RenewableUK, the trade association for wind, wave and tidal said: “RenewableUK is pleased to work with UKTI in once again organising a large delegation of its members to visit Paris to share their experience and discuss future working together. The UK has the potential to be an offshore wind powerhouse, and export across Northern Europe, so events like this are very useful”.

Dr Steven Pugh from the Centres for Offshore Renewable Engineering (CORE) said:

"CORE brings together expertise from all over England, working together as one voice towards the same goal of supporting British business and promoting Foreign Direct Investment for offshore wind. The offshore wind sector has already seen dramatic growth and continues to be a great success story for the UK.

“The Paris event continues the theme of opportunity and collaboration, with the aim of forging new partnerships between supply chains and highlighting the 6 CORE areas as exciting and credible places to invest."

In 2010/11, the UK wind sector had estimated sales of around £14 billion of which £1.6 billion was exports and estimated employment of around 94,000 people.

Earlier this year the Offshore Wind Developers Forum (OWDF) confirmed their vision for ‘the UK to be the centre for offshore wind technology and deployment, with a competitive supply chain in the UK, providing over 50% of the content of offshore wind farm projects’.

This sends a strong signal of the confidence developers have in the UK supply chain and reflects recent progress and announcements.

Notes to Editors

1. UKTI has assisted CORE with the production of a brochure ‘Building Offshore Wind in England’, published today. The brochure provides details of the six Centres for Offshore Renewable Engineering (COREs) in England identified as having optimum conditions for the offshore wind industry with the land, infrastructure, skills and supply chain expertise required to take advantage of the world’s largest engineering opportunity. The document can be accessed via the UKTI website: http://www.ukti.gov.uk/investintheuk/uktipublications/item/415780.html

2. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the Government Department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK’s economy – acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. We provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage. For more information on UKTI, visit www.ukti.gov.ukor visit the online newsroom at www.ukti.gov.uk/media.