Scotland’s largest offshore wind event is in Aberdeen next week.
The Scottish Offshore Wind Conference and Exhibition will bring together more than 600 business leaders from across the UK and Europe.
The two-day event starting at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre on Tuesday is organised by Scottish Renewables and Scottish Enterprise.
First Minister Alex Salmond will give the opening address.
Scotland is gearing up to maximise economic potential from offshore wind in the next decade and beyond, with potential for as much as £7billion of investment and 48,000 jobs.
Scottish Renewables chief executive Niall Stuart said: “With more than 600 attendees and 50 exhibitors this has, in just a year, become one of the largest events in the renewables calendar. The offshore wind industry will prove to be a significant economic driver in Scotland and an event like this one is a reflection of that. The diversity of those exhibiting tells you this is an international industry making its home in Scotland.
“Companies such as Gamesa (Spain), Kongsberg (Norway) and Simatex (Germany), as well as home-grown businesses such as Xi Engineering and Xodus Group, are all looking to create new jobs in manufacturing, research and development and invest millions in communities across Scotland.
“Where better than Aberdeen to explore how Scotland can strengthen its presence in the offshore wind sector; a city that has built up a huge hub of skills and expertise from oil and gas which can now be transferred to help create a world-leading offshore wind industry.”
Adrian Gillespie, director of energy and low carbon technologies at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Building on our long industrial heritage and offshore engineering expertise, Scotland is ideally placed to capitalise on Europe’s growing offshore wind industry right across the supply chain.
“In the last year alone in Scotland we have seen research and development investment, diversification, acquisition and collaboration all help deliver strong and steady progress towards building this exciting new industry. We continue to support Scottish and foreign investors who clearly understand our competitive advantage and see the potential in our offshore expertise, supportive business environment, academic excellence, and natural resources.”
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