Government Urged to do More for UK Windfarms

You may be aware that the UK is a global leader in offshore wind products and expertise.

A recently published report has urged the government to do more to help suppliers win more work to build, maintain and decommission offshore windfarms.

The report by the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) asks the government to ensure that 60% of the cost of all offshore wind projects is sourced from UK companies.

At present, the figure is only 50% which the report believes is not enough to enable the offshore windfarm supply chain to develop. It recommends that the full costs of projects should be considered including the intellectual property and full life cycle of a project, including maintenance and decommissioning.

There is a growing global market for offshore windfarms and the UK is uniquely placed to take advantage of this. The report says a viable supply chain needs to be stablished to fully take advantage of this emerging global market by exporting skills, products and services.

OWIC chairman Benj Sykes described it on the New Civil Engineer website as an opportunity to “win orders in the rapidly expanding global offshore market.” He added “It’s great to see the review highlighting the opportunity for the UK to develop innovative technologies needed for the next generation of offshore wind and winning orders in the rapidly expanding global offshore wind market.”