Two of the UK’s leading green energy groups are to merge as they look to drive innovation among British offshore renewable research.
The National Renewable Energy Centre and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult will link up to offer combined design, engineering, research and testing facilities in a bid to attract foreign investment for UK offshore projects.
The centre, based in Blythe, Northumberland, has invested more than £150million public and private sector cash in renewables projects and testing, while ORE Catapult, formed by the Technology Strategy Board, has helped renewable energy developers transform concepts into products.
Narec chief executive Andrew Mill will step down from the organisation’s hotseat to join the ORE Catapult board.
“Integrating Narec’s world-class facilities and expertise with the ORE Catapult will create a unique and growing organisation, ensuring that regionally and nationally the UK is in the best possible position to capture the huge opportunity presented by wind, wave and tidal energy,” he said.
The move would create a national champion for developing wind, wave and tidal energy in the UK, ORE Catapult said.
“Narec and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult will together create a world-leading innovation and asset assurance business, serving the entire offshore renewable sector and returning value on Government investment many times over,” said chief executive Andrew Jamieson.
“We will play a leading role in ensuring the UK replicates the success of the oil and gas industries, creating many thousands of skilled jobs, contributing billions of pounds to the economy and ensuring that the UK has a major influence on European policy, funding and offshore renewable energy development in the decades to come.”
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