The Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) has set out the priority areas in which it is working with the UK Government to support supply chain development in the industry.
OWIC has identified turbine blades, towers, monopile foundations and power cables as the prime areas in which the UK can secure new investment to boost domestic manufacturing capabilities.
Developers of planned projects are engaging with manufacturers to provide greater visibility of their demands and timelines, which will encourage companies to invest in new facilities, OWIC said.
The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, a £100m fund set up by the industry to accelerate supply chain development, is leading on work to identify high-value components for blades, generators, nacelles, towers and electrical systems which could be sourced in the UK.
These make up the lion’s share of capital expenditure on projects and more of them could made in the UK, OWIC said.
OWIC co-chair and Vattenfall UK country manager Danielle Lane said: “The industry is working closer than ever before with Government on a strategic approach to develop the UK offshore wind supply chain to meet our 40GW target by the end of this decade.
“Government and industry share the ambition to unlock investment in new facilities and manufacturing that will deliver a vibrant, globally competitive supply chain in the UK.
“Success will depend on making it clear to UK supply chain companies what we want and when we need it, as well as investing in ports and infrastructure so we can handle the mega-turbines of the future.
“Underpinning all this, we have to secure large volumes of new capacity in the next CfD auction to keep us on track towards our 2030 target”.
RenewableUK chief executive Hugh McNeal added: “There are fantastic companies in our domestic supply chain, from large-scale manufacturers to smaller fabricators, construction specialists, AI developers, robotics companies and O&M firms.
“We can build on this to ensure that the UK has an industrial base which matches our world-leading offshore wind ambitions”.
