David Edwards
SLP Energy
The East of England
With the East of England already the offshore wind energy capital of Britain, OrbisEnergy is the focal point for investors, suppliers, large utilities, and small and medium enterprises.
Perfectly situated at Ness Point in Lowestoft, the country's most easterly point, OrbisEnergy is close to nearby airports and ports, in a region that has a talented and skilled workforce with decades of experience in all aspects of offshore engineering and energy.
EastPort UK's Outer Harbour construction at Great Yarmouth, and the work of 1st East - the Urban Regeneration Company for Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth - developing a wider 'Power Park', along with the POWER cluster project, are just some of the many factors makes OrbisEnergy ideally placed.
PowerPark Demand and need report
Of the 9GW of offshore wind energy projects now being developed around Britain, 7GW are planned between the Thames Estuary and the Humber. Round 3 will extend this to over 20GW.
The region itself is committed to supplying 14% of its electricity from renewables by 2010. The draft East of England plan sets the region's target for renewable energy at 44% by 2020, far ahead of the national targets. Of the 371MW of energy planned for the region from offshore wind projects by 2010, 288MW are already in place or approved.
Further ahead, it is estimated that a quarter of the UK's electricity needs could be met through wave and tidal energy, both currently at an embryonic stage of their development. The East of England region invests more funding into research and development than anywhere else in the UK and more too than most European regions. This means the region can also offer comprehensive support services for the emerging marine renewables sector.
For four decades the East of England has supplied a versatile and respected workforce for offshore industries. The numerous industry related regional centres of academic research and development include Lowestoft's Offshore Renewables Centre of Vocational Excellence and East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) - the regional energy industry association.
The East of England leads the nation's offshore renewable energy effort - with OrbisEnergy at its heart.
