Offshore green-energy projects worth a total of £210billion are an “unmissable opportunity” for Scotland’s oil and gas industry, a flagship centre for UK offshore renewables innovation and research said yesterday.
The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult launched a series of challenges aimed at harnessing world-leading experience in the North Sea and unlocking “high growth potential” among offshore sector suppliers.
It is hoped they will encourage more firms to diversify and “take an early lead in the global renewables revolution”.
The challenges are spread across six broad themes: turbine blades; electrical infrastructure; foundations; operations and maintenance; powertrain innovation; and wave and tidal-energy.
Visiting the north-east, ORE Catapult commercialisation manager Andrew Tipping said: “Aberdeen and the UK as a whole have extensive experience in oil and gas and the skills base, both in exploration and drilling, could be invaluable to the growth and development of offshore renewables.
“The value of this should not be underestimated, particularly at a time when the oil and gas sector continues to contend with lower oil prices and a need to reduce operating costs.
“Diversifying into renewables provides greater resilience for companies at the same time as providing an opportunity to take an early lead in what will be a huge global industry.
“It’s an unmissable opportunity.”
Launched ahead of a National Subsea Research Institute (NSRI) initiative to encourage companies to diversify into offshore renewables, ORE Catapult’s challenges invite firms across the UK to develop solutions to a number of issues facing the sector.
These range from the need to improve maintenance techniques and develop better foundations for wind and tidal turbines to reducing the cost of cable surveys and ice-reduction coatings.
Mr Tipping said: “The aim of these challenges is two-fold; to bring down the overall cost of offshore renewable technology and to drive growth for UK companies.
“Many of the challenges we’re presenting today are not unique to offshore renewables.
“Similar issues will be faced by oil and gas companies and related subsea sectors. We’ve teamed up with NSRI to highlight these opportunities and make sure that companies grasp them as quickly as possible and steal a march on our global competitors.
“The emergence of offshore renewables could be Britain’s new oil boom – the potential is absolutely huge.”
Among the companies already moving into offshore renewables with ORE Catapult’s help is Aberdeen-based offshore engineering firm W3G Marine.
It is hoped the firm’s drone-based erosion inspection technology will drastically cut operational and maintenance costs for offshore windfarms.
W3G Marine director John Giles said: “The Catapult has been an invaluable help, and the process has opened up opportunities for us to diversify our product offering and explore new markets.”
Launched in 2013 and headquartered in Glasgow, ORE Catapult is the UK’s flagship technology innovation and research centre for offshore wind, wave and tidal-energy.
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