The British government has put aside £60 million ($94.9 million) to boost the development of world-class offshore wind manufacturing infrastructure at the country’s ports.
“We need thousands of offshore turbines in the next decade and beyond yet neither the factories nor these large port sites currently exist. And that, understandably, is putting off private investors. So we’re stepping in,” said British Prime Minister David Cameron.
“It’s a triple win. It will help secure our energy supplies, protect our planet and the Carbon Trust says it could create 70,000 jobs,” he added.
The funding will be delivered using the grant for business investment scheme which is expected to accelerate the support’s availability from April 2011 until March 2015.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change will receive applications before then, while the independent Industrial Development Advisory Board will consider the applications and make the recommendations to the department’s ministers who will ultimately decide on the funding.
The government said it will consider bids that support major investments for offshore wind manufacturers, especially those with large-scale coastal manufacturing requirements such as turbine, foundation, cable and tower manufacturers.
Grabbing the opportunity, global wind giants General Electric, Siemens A.G. and Gamesa S.A. have come up with proposals to build manufacturing plants at coastal locations in Britain.
Gamesa also revealed plans to establish its global headquarters and a research and development facility in London.
These companies are expected to bring over £300 million in investments, create thousands of jobs at the companies and their supply chains and provide offshore wind capacity that would help the country achieve its renewable energy targets.
“To help secure private sector investment in this technology, we’re providing up to £60 million to meet the needs offshore wind infrastructure at our ports. And to help move things forward, the Crown Estate will also work with interested ports and manufacturers to realize the potential of their sites,” Mr. Cameron said.
The Crown Estate, the property portfolio of the British Crown, intends to continue coordinating discussions with offshore wind energy developers, as well as other marine energy stakeholders, to pinpoint where upgrades to port facilities are necessary and to understand how these will be managed and delivered.
