The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP), a business transformation programme, has launched its largest tranche of grant funding for UK supply chain companies in a package totalling £4.2 million.
The package includes a £3.5m development grant funding competition for supply chain projects and a £700,000 Wind Expert Support Toolkit (WEST) programme for business support.
Grants of between £100,000 and £1m are available for projects that will unlock growth potential in UK content, jobs and export opportunities.
This latest call builds on the £2.5m of grant funding already allocated to successful companies in the last 18 months.
Grants are available to UK companies and will be awarded on a competitive basis, with successful proposals demonstrating a long-term business plan and a clear ambition for growth in the sector.
Eligible applicants can request up to £1m in a single grant application to cover up to 50% of the total project budget.
To date, OWGP, established as part of the UK Offshore Wind Sector Deal, has awarded funding to more than 20 offshore wind supply chain projects.
These include the development of innovative robotic solutions for welding and component assembly, machine learning solutions to enhance wind farm accessibility and O&M decision making, and virtual reality simulation training for offshore wind workers.
The OWGP is funded by members of the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC), with a budget of £100m over 10 years.
Delivered by ORE Catapult, the programme supports the growth of UK businesses looking to capitalise on the huge opportunities offered by the global offshore wind sector.
Danielle Lane, co-chair of OWIC and UK country manager for Vattenfall, said: “The offshore wind industry is investing millions of pounds in developing a world-class supply chain so that innovative companies around the country can win contracts for goods and services here and abroad.
“The UK Government has recently published new proposals on offshore wind supply chain plans for the next CfD auction, which are challenging for project developers.
“Key initiatives, such as today’s announcement by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, will help UK companies to join the growing number of UK firms entering our sector, maximising the economic benefits of offshore wind for this country.”
Recommended for you
