Press statement – for immediate release
12 June 2013
The UK’s ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to grow the offshore wind industry
RenewableUK and The Crown Estate published their latest industry report today, written by BVG
Associates. This report highlights the ‘once in a generation’ chance to benefit from its world-leading
position in offshore wind energy, by stimulating investment in manufacturing and installation
infrastructure to attract major companies to the UK to set up new manufacturing locations.
The next 12 months will be a critical period in the creation of a strong domestic industry. The
report states that, by 2030, the UK’s offshore wind industry will need as many as 7 turbine tower
factories, 7 blade factories, 7 nacelle factories, 6 factories to build foundations, 6 factories to build
offshore substations and 6 cable factories. The industry will also require more than 20 huge seagoing
vessels to install offshore turbines, and a further 230 vessels to carry workers to and from the turbines
once they are operational. The supply chain will need to progress with major investment if it is to be
ready to supply what will be needed. If there is a delay, investment will be made overseas to
serve both local and UK markets and therefore there will be little incentive to repeat that
investment here.
Less than a quarter of the currently operational or announced coastal turbine and foundation
production and installation facilities is located, or is planned to be located, in the UK and uncertainty is
currently inhibiting future infrastructure investment. The opportunity for industrial development in
this market is still considerable but the UK must give companies confidence about the size
and stability of the long term market to secure a significant proportion of the remaining
investment in the face of strong international competition.
The size and scale of our market is the key lever for the Government to grow supply chain activity in
the UK, but other measures are also needed, such as incentivising UK content. There is fierce
competition for offshore wind jobs coming from elsewhere in Europe; countries like Germany and
France are already financially incentivising infrastructure development and emphasising the
importance of domestic content to attract inward investment and support indigenous growth. The time
for the UK’s offshore wind industry is now.
Rhys Thomas, RenewableUK’s Director of Renewables Delivery, commented, “This important
research highlights and details the industrial opportunity presented by the UK and European offshore
wind sector. The question remains however, how much of the industrial footprint will be based in the
UK? The report clearly sets out the scale of the industrial benefit that the UK has the potential to
secure building upon the footprint we already have achieved. But it warns that we are in a critical
period to grow this footprint, and swift progress to transform announcements and intentions into
manufacturing facilities, producing the components that the UK offshore wind sector requires, is key.”
-EndsNotes for editors:
BVG Associates is an independent consultancy with expertise in the technology, implementation and
economics of wind and marine energy generation systems. Its purpose is to help its clients establish
renewable energy generation as a major, responsible and cost-effective part of a sustainable global
energy mix.
The full report can be downloaded from www.bvgassociates.co.uk/publications
For further information, please contact:
Chris Willow, Senior Associate: clw@bvgassociates.co.uk; +44 1793 799 020, +44 7889 716 639
Annabel Wallis, Marketing Manager: amw@bvgassociates.co.uk; +44 1793 799 037
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