Steve Clarke
Renewables East
The Supply Chain
Across the East of England sits a highly developed energy industry supply chain, built up through three decades of experience in the business of offshore energy.
More than 16,000 people now work throughout the East of England in the offshore oil and gas industries. In the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft areas alone it is estimated that more than 400 companies are involved in the energy business.
The skills and knowledge needed to build offshore wind turbines and, further into the future, machines capable of harnessing tidal and wave energy, are already in place.
Sector specialists including power generation engineers SLP, Global Marine Systems, Trident Energy, ODE, JDR Cables, PSL, E-tech and engineering company Peter Brotherhood, all have long and established working relationships in the region.
Locally based companies expert in electronic componentry are also on hand – backed by leading research, development and academic resources. Britain’s first Centre of Vocational Excellence for Offshore Technology is based at Lowestoft College. The Centre’s facilities include a simulation training tank which replicates conditions in the North Sea.
OrbisEnergy will play a major role in ensuring all the links in the supply chain have access to this fast growing industry of wind, tidal and wave renewable energy sources, helping build partnerships and commercial links among suppliers, contractors, engineers, manufacturers and research centres.
An analysis of the contracts awarded within Scroby Sands shows . . . that if the East of England could have fully developed its inherent capability and offered a cost competitive suite of products and services the region’s content within Scroby Sands could have reached approximately £24million as against the £12.8million it did source.
DTI report
