The energy sector in the east of England has overcome its envy of northern counterparts and is eyeing Dutch partnerships.
Simon Gray, chief executive of the East of England Energy Group (Eeegr), said his region has more in common with the Netherlands than with Scotland’s north-east.
Mr Gray said he had been working with Dutch organisations and was forming a relationship with the IRO, which is the Netherland’s offshore industry body.
He said: “We’ve looked at Aberdeen with envy for a long time, but that’s being reversed now.
“It’s so diverse here with offshore wind, nuclear power and a rejuvenated gas basin. The opportunity for the supply chain here is massive.
“Our model here is so different. We should look to the Netherlands. We’ve got the same geology with the gas basin.
“But we currently do things differently and it might make more sense to work closely with them to understand where we could drive costs down and increase the life of the basin. It’s a big opportunity.”
Mr Gray was speaking at Eeegr’s flagship Southern North Sea (SNS) Conference and Exhibition in Norwich.
Mr Gray said this year’s event had been “extremely positive” and that exciting discussions were taking place around the integration of upstream gas and renewables installations.
One idea being mulled involves repurposing unmanned gas platforms to accommodate offshore wind workers.
Companies are also toying with the “gas to wire” concept, which could make use of spare capacity on offshore wind transmission infrastructure.
Gas companies could generate power by installing gas turbines on their platform before exporting it through wind farm transmission cables.
David McVeigh, sales and marketing director at Harland and Wolff, said SNS 2017 had been a “very beneficial” event.
Mr McVeigh said: “We’ve found it to be a really good event. There are bigger events but the right people are here, so you’re getting bang for your buck.
“We came here with the intention of making ourselves available to the local supply chain, but it’s gone beyond that. A lot of customers here are interested in what we can do.”
Ben Hooker, senior business development manager at James Fisher Marine Services, said: “Eeegr’s team works hard for its members and I thank them for everything they do.
“I think everyone has been so busy making contacts and cutting deals that they forget words of praise.
“We’ve been coming here for a number of years and are delighted to see SNS grow from strength to strength.”
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