Trades unions, offshore wind developers and supply chain
companies have agreed to take urgent action to ensure more
Scottish companies benefit from the awarding of contracts for
offshore wind projects.
At a summit held by Scottish Finance Secretary and Energy Minister
, the industry
representatives agreed that collective action was needed to
ensure supply chain companies are well positioned to benefit
from upcoming offshore wind projects.
The industry has been asked to consider urgent action for
achieving the ambitious local content targets agreed to as part
of the UK Government’s Offshore Wind Sector Deal.
As a result of the summit, the Scottish Government has promised
to explore:
- the options open for attaching supply chain conditions and
incentives to Crown Estate Scotland leases
- ways in which the Scottish Parliament reviews and approves
decommissioning plans
In addition, representatives from the offshore wind sector
committed to undertaking a strategic capability assessment of
fabrication in the UK and to identify the areas with the
highest potential for growth.
Finance Secretary set out work underway to
improve the competitiveness of the Scottish supply chain.
Delegates will meet again later this year to review progress.
Speaking after the summit, Mr Mackay said:
“Scotland has all the natural resources to make it an ideal
location for offshore wind, but recent projects have failed to
deliver significant economic opportunities for Scottish
businesses.
“I will continue to champion the strengths, and potential, of
our indigenous supply chain. But now it is time for the
offshore sector to do more by awarding contracts to our supply
chain.
“I acknowledge that the supply chain must work hard to seek
opportunities – making strategic investments and considering
appropriate collaborations when tendering for contracts.
“The environmental benefits of our renewable sector are clear,
but we must also ensure that we maximise the economic benefits
that this sector can deliver for communities across Scotland. I
am determined that we will use every lever at our disposal to
ensure that our renewables supply chain benefits from the
expansion of offshore wind in Scottish waters.”
The Chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council and Ørsted UK
Country Manager for Offshore, Benj Sykes, said:
“The offshore wind industry will continue to work closely with
the Scottish Government, and indeed all governments, to ensure
communities up and down the country reap the economic benefits
offshore wind offers - creating thousands of highly-skilled,
well-paid jobs and attracting billions of pounds in investment,
especially in coastal areas.
“We have increased our ambitions for UK content and set a 2030
target of 60%. To support it, an independent supply chain
review was undertaken earlier this year. The industry is
working together to establish a new Offshore Wind Growth
Partnership, of up to £100 million which will help UK supply
chain companies to compete for multi-billion pound business
opportunities in this thriving sector.”
Background
Summit invitees include senior officials from Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), DEME GeoSea,
EDF Renewables, E.ON, Equinor, GE Renewable Energy, GMB,
Innogy, Jan De Nul, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, Moray East
Renewables, Orsted, RWE, Scottish Power, SDIC Red Rock Power
Ltd, Seaway Heavy Lifting, Siemens Energy Distribution, SSE,
Saipem, Unite the Union, Van Oord and Vattenfall.
