Last week’s announcement of successful consortia awarded licences for the development of UK Crown Estate Round Three Offshore Wind Farms is a huge step forward for the UK, marking a major tipping point for the future of offshore renewables.
The UK is already the biggest generator of electricity from
offshore wind in the world and the scale of the developments outlined in
Round Three provide us with the opportunity to take a global industry lead in terms of advancing the technologies required to make it all work.
The UK will only reap the long-term economic benefits and the tens of thousands of jobs estimated across the supply chain, if we can deliver a large share of the plant and expertise from our own shores. These huge sites will require long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) support as well as the initial build out. They will offer opportunities to manufacturing, engineering, ports and marine operators.
The announcement of consortia to develop new capacity is fundamental and the stature of those companies awarded contracts provides great confidence that targets will be achieved. An additional 25,000 megawatts of capacity could be generated in the UK as a result and, on such a large scale, a new approach is required from industry across the supply chain to ensure delivery.
The Government has demonstrated its long-term commitment to encourage much needed innovation in the sector and build a wind supply chain capable of delivering, operating and maintaining future generating capacity. The continued investment in purpose-built national facilities to service the requirements of next generation machines is critical to accelerating their deployment offshore and securing manufacturing by Clipper Wind Power, Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe and others into the UK.
As such, proving the technologies in the new larger
wind turbines required for Round Three, before they are installed further offshore, will be a critical factor to accelerating the rate of installations and reducing the lifetime costs of new wind farms.
NaREC is technology advisor to the Crown Estate and national
policy makers and provides research and development (R&D), consultancy, test and demonstration facilities for the
renewable and electrical power sector.
At
NaREC, we are creating a global independent hub for the accelerated deployment of
offshore wind generating capacity to not only help to secure the country’s future clean energy supplies, but also optimise the economic benefit to be had from the creation of this new industry in the UK.
The
North East England region, from where we are located, is ideally placed to capitalise with over 800 turbines to be potentially deployed in the Dogger Bank site alone, 150 kilometres off the North East coast. Two other North Sea sites announced could easily be supplied and serviced from our engineering bases on the banks of the rivers Blyth, Tyne, Wear and Tees.
Favourable proof points that Narec is involved with that will help deliver Round Three success include:
• Working with global turbine, blade and electrical infrastructure manufacturers on their large turbine, blade and associated equipment development programmes.
NaREC is an independent development partner to Clipper Windpower and Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe for their new machines, designed specifically for the
Round Three market • Supporting Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution in the technical development of advanced new designs for the deployment of offshore sub-stations in the UK market
• Creating a national technology advancement hub for the industry in North East England, to prove and accredit new machines ahead of their roll out offshore. This is essential for the future of
UK renewable and been in part driven by huge support from industry
• NaREC recently secured public investment of £15 million to build on its current 70 metre turbine blade testing capability with a new 100 metre facility to test the largest of offshore blades. Its proposals to build on existing testing and R&D capabilities are focused on improving the productivity of new machines by addressing the reliability of technology, installation methods and O&M challenges
• Funding for the build of a major turbine component and drive train testing rig has the support of the Energy technologies Institute (ETI) and proposals for a 20 turbine offshore demonstration farm have been welcomed manufacturers and utilities alike.
The industry is moving forward at a tremendous pace and provides an opportunity that the UK cannot afford to miss in terms of both
economic and future energy security.