A major UK Government report has described a lack of UK firms in the offshore wind supply chain as a “missed opportunity”.
The document, “Future of the Sea”, says a more strategic approach is needed by government and industry for the coming years.
It adds that the wind industry could be worth nearly £3billion a year to the UK economy by 2030.
The report states: “While there are opportunities here, the relatively small percentage of the supply chain that is supplied by UK businesses could be seen as a missed opportunity.
“This report’s conclusion considers the potential for a more strategic position being used to identify and develop targets for capitalising on such opportunities in the future.”
The document states that while oil and gas dominates the current energy landscape, there are “opportunities for other emerging offshore energy industries to harness the UK expertise in oil and gas”.
A “world-leading” capability of decommissioning offshore infrastructure could be created, according to the document.
However, the removal work for main structures is likely to be lost out to other North Sea countries such as the Netherlands with “significant marine salvage capacity”.
The main opportunities in the UK are likely to be in processing the structures on land.
On North Sea oil and gas, the report says there are opportunities to access new fuel deposits, with 37 per cent of proven reserves offshore being in deep water.
However use of the deposits “would potentially have implications for the UK’s climate targets”.
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