The UK’s offshore wind sector is an internationally-recognised success story. Five of the world’s largest wind farms lie off the UK’s coast, we have the second biggest pipeline of projects in the world, and the sector currently supports 30,000 jobs.
But what could the future of the offshore wind sector look like?
Commissioned by Renewable UK, the Offshore Wind Industry Council, The Crown Estate and The Crown Estate Scotland, the 2024 Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan sets out a vision for the UK in offshore wind. It’s geared towards the future of offshore wind technology and innovation that drives growth and sustainability, and defines the priorities, objectives and actions needed to “capture a bigger share” of the offshore wind opportunity.
The plan proposes that the UK should be a “global technology leader” in advanced turbine technology, industrialised foundations and substructures, future electrical systems and cables, smart environment services and next generation installation and operations and maintenance (O&M). To enable this, it proposes the creation of: an Industrial Growth Fund; a new Offshore Wind Innovation Development & Demonstration (WInDD) Hub; and a new Advanced Turbine Technology Institute (ATTI) as part of the WInDD Hub.
Many parts of the plan can be delivered and executed in Northumberland, thanks to the region’s combination of port infrastructure, R&D expertise, engineering and manufacturing capabilities, strategic location, training facilities and skills.
The county, therefore, is well positioned to play a major role in the next chapter of the offshore wind story.
So where does Northumberland fit into The Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan’s vision?
Northumberland has a heritage in offshore wind dating back nearly 25 years and is arguably the birthplace of the sector in the UK: the country’s first offshore wind farm was constructed off the coast of Blyth in 2000.
Fast forward to 2024 and Northumberland is home to a growing offshore and renewable energy cluster delivering clean and green growth: Energy Central.
A partnership between Advance Northumberland, Port of Blyth, Northumberland County Council and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, Energy Central is centred around the Blyth Estuary, and is a unique port-based service, investment and growth cluster for companies in the offshore wind, subsea engineering and decommissioning sectors.
Maria Antoniou, Head of Economic Development at Northumberland County Council, describes Energy Central as “hugely important” for Northumberland and the region.
“It provides the opportunity to drive forward the North East’s and UK’s net zero ambitions whilst unlocking new economic growth, investment and job creation opportunities,” she says, adding that Northumberland and the wider North East “boasts an extensive and well-connected supply chain, leading innovation and testing facilities, good infrastructure, and an extensive skills and knowledge base built upon a long maritime and engineering heritage.”
She continues: “The offshore wind cluster across the Blyth estuary and wider hinterland currently supports around 2700 jobs, is hugely important for Northumberland’s economy and has significant potential for growth and scale up at pace.
“Energy Central has also been selected as a regional Investment Zone site, which includes Bates Clean Energy Terminal at Port of Blyth, a scheme that has been developed to support the clean energy sector: more than £10 million was committed to shaping and preparing the site for companies focused on low carbon investment and innovation.
"Investment Zone status will help to unlock growth across clean energy and green manufacturing, building on the region’s world-class reputation in these sectors.”
John Hildreth, Head of Economic Growth at Advance Northumberland, adds: “R&D expertise is embedded into Northumberland, thanks to the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre at Blyth, and this gives the county a distinctive edge in supporting the development of disruptive technologies outlined in the plan, such as Machine Learning algorithms, autonomous vehicles and next generation inspection and monitoring systems.”
What makes Energy Central a prime location for innovation in offshore wind?
The 2024 Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan suggests that the UK needs a dedicated collaborative hub to facilitate innovation, in order to take a world leading position in offshore wind research, and realise the potential of investment in disruptive technologies. The WinDD Hub, it states, will enable the design, prototyping and full-scale demonstration of offshore wind technologies and this will be anchored to the ATTI, a world class collaborative institute to drive the agenda on the next generation of turbine blades and components.
As it is home to the ORE Catapult, Energy Central already offers a prime location for the plan’s proposed collaborative hub. Its assets include large-scale powertrain test facilities, high voltage test labs, a 100m blade testing facility, the Disruptive Innovation Technology Centre and The Digital, Autonomous and Robotics Engineering (DARE) Centre, which are all supporting the development of new technology.
“The Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan is a significant step in the evolution of the industry," says Tony Quinn, Director of Technology Development at the ORE Catapult. “It recognises the importance of technology and innovation in creating the platform for economic growth.
“The ORE Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre has built an enviable track record in attracting foreign investment in technology development as well as supporting a vibrant local ecosystem.
“The Catapult has recently secured significant funding to enhance its capabilities in Blyth.
“If the UK is to successfully aggregate its offshore wind research capabilities it is the natural choice to be the ‘Hub’.”
How can Energy Central support the scale up to net zero?
Scaling up to net zero poses a formidable challenge. According to Wind Europe, a 14x increase in cables will be needed in Europe by 2030, and the Offshore Wind Industry Council’s June 2023 Offshore Wind Skills Intelligence report stated that the sector’s UK workforce would need to quadruple between 2023 and 2035 to support scale-up. In addition, according to Renewable UK’s contracts database, on average of 300 new wind turbine generators will be required each year to meet UK demand by 2030.
Recent developments at Energy Central are helping Northumberland make a valuable contribution to the UK’s ambitions to reach its net zero target…
At Cambois, on a site once home to a coal-fired power station, global subsea cable supplier and servicer JDR Cables is building a £130 million, 60,000 sqm facility which is due to become operational in 2024. This will include the only quayside-located high voltage Continuous Catenary Vulcanisation (CCV) line operational in the UK, and which will make the facility capable of full start-to-finish manufacturing of high voltage subsea cables.
The plan also suggests that investing in skills is 'fundamental’ to making the economy more productive. To help address this challenge and support the offshore wind sector’s growth, the Energy Central Learning Hub, a state-of-the-art facility at Port of Blyth, will deliver STEM education and sector-related vocational and work-based learning when it opens later this year.
“The longest lead item in creating any successful and sustainable local supply chain is building a skilled workforce," says Tony Quinn. “The Energy Central Learning Hub will significantly help shorten the lines of communication between industry and education providers so that economic growth is not constrained by the lack of suitably trained people.”
How can Northumberland help the UK become a leading hub for floating offshore wind?
Accelerating the development of floating offshore wind is a key opportunity for the UK, but the additional manufacturing capability and infrastructure is needed to realise this. The requirement for more specialist moorings and anchors, and array cables, for example, will increase as more floating offshore wind farms are built: the manufacture of these, along with blades, towers and deep water foundations, is identified as a priority in the plan.
The Port of Blyth, however, is in a strong position to support the growth of floating offshore wind.
Martin Lawlor, Chief Executive of Port of Blyth, said: “The Port of Blyth has land available at all three of our main terminals for companies involved in floating offshore wind, with direct access to heavy duty quayside and an extensive cluster of supporting services.
“Our biggest development site is Bates Clean Energy Terminal, a 17 HA site, with 5 HA ready for development. It has heavy lift cranes, electric cranes, heavy lift quayside infrastructure, roads and power infrastructure to help businesses with a soft landing.
“Port of Blyth can support floating offshore wind in a number of ways, from consenting, fabrication and manufacturing, to marshalling, installation and construction, to O&M and long-term decommissioning.
“Anchors and chains can be manufactured and distributed from here, the port can be a base for the fabrication and deployment of floating platforms and we can apply our cable handling experience to the dynamic array cables required in floating offshore wind projects.
“We are already exploring potential opportunities to support the construction and mobilisation of moorings and anchor chains, and to leverage our cable handling experience, and Bates Clean Energy Terminal, as well as other assets at the port, underlines the strength of our capabilities in this area.”
What are Energy Central’s strengths in installation, operations and maintenance and support services?
The offshore wind capabilities within the Port of Blyth are extensive, and include offshore equipment manufacturing, wind farm component mobilisation, cable storage and handling, and vessel mobilisation support.
It has an established track record in offshore energy too: the port has supported complex projects for the likes of GE Renewable Energy and Global Marine, and it is now the cable base and offshore construction base for Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, one of world’s largest wind farms.
“The Port of Blyth is already recognised as an internationally significant cluster of organisations supporting the offshore wind sector,” says Martin Lawlor.
“With services covering complex lifts, cable spooling, logistics, fabrication, decommissioning, vessel servicing and a host of other services, the Blyth Estuary will continue to provide a genuine ‘one stop shop' as the sector continues to expand over the decades to come.”
How is Advance Northumberland supporting the growth of the offshore wind sector?
Advance Northumberland has smoothed the path for companies who wish to be part of the offshore wind ecosystem. It has a portfolio of major development sites, office premises such as Blyth Workspace – which lies within Energy Central – access to finance programmes, and a specialist team dedicated to business support.
“Advance Northumberland’s acquisition of major development sites and our expertise in leveraging investment has been instrumental in bringing companies such as JDR Cables to Northumberland,” says John Hildreth.
“We also have a long track record of providing guidance, support and advice to companies at all stages of their journeys who wish to grow and develop in the county, including those attracted to its vibrant offshore wind cluster.”
What about the overall economic picture?
The plan’s authors suggest that if adopted and delivered, it would generate substantial economic benefits for the UK economy. These would include up to £25 billion in additional GVA (Gross Value Add) over the 10 years post investment, up to 10,000 cumulative additional jobs annually following investment, a tripling of offshore wind manufacturing capacity and a doubling of R&D investment and output.
“The Energy Central Learning Hub and our region’s colleges, universities and training providers will develop the skills base necessary for the offshore wind sector’s workforce, and the ORE Catapult and DARE provide a fulcrum for R&D and innovation,” concludes John Hildreth. “Combine this with the capabilities to manufacture critical components, a diverse supply chain and the deep sector expertise, and Northumberland can continue to play a major part in realising the 2024 Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan’s vision... and driving economic growth well into the future.”
To find out more about the offshore wind sector in Northumberland, and to contact the Advance Northumberland team, visit https://www.investnorthumberland.co.uk/