SPONSORS OF REGIONAL FOCUS
ABLE MARINE ENERGY PARK
THE LONG TERM VIEW ENABLING THE UK TO MANUFACTURE A POSITION OF STRENGTH The coalition Government is determined for the renewables sector to provide the path for the UK to manufacture itself out of these difficult economic times.
This strategy requires balanced policy and fiscal pledges and - if we get it right - will provide immeasurable benefits for both the UK economy and the ever increasing collective quest to tackle climate change.
The stakes are high for UK Plc - who seems to be becoming slightly frustrated of the sectors well-laboured pleas for the supply chain to manoeuvre themselves into non-committal positions of preparedness.
LESSONS LEARNED If the renewables sector is to thrive in the UK and capture sustained economic benefits we need to be mindful of key lessons learnt from the oil & gas sector.
Nowadays, we disappointingly see lucrative oil & gas fabrication contracts awarded to overseas contractors despite the UK having suitable engineering capabilities and a renowned reputation for being able to manufacture high quality, complex components that have in the past allowed oil & gas operators to exploit the North Sea’s rich assets.
GOVERNMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This issue is acknowledged by UK Government with DECC and Oil & Gas UK who are currently working hard to assist UK fabricators to retain and sustain competitiveness, turning the tables back in the UK’s favour.
A BLUEPRINT FOR THE EMERGING RENEWABLES MARKET As the UK delivers its blueprint for the emergence of the renewables sector and continues the reform of our energy market we need to be mindful of two very simple, superseding trends within the renewables sector that lie at the heart of the UK’s future ability to become and remain competitive.
UNDERSTANDING AND CAPABILITIES Firstly, we must fully understand the magnitude of emerging capabilities within increasing globally competitive markets. Revolutionary new infrastructure projects such as integrated super-ports (Gulf), fabrication yards (South Korea), dry docks (Oman) are providing resounding economies of scale for the delivery of major investment contracts, somewhat usurping the UK’s competitiveness. In a renewables context and on a European scale, we see this already happening through the principal ports of Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven and Esbjerg that have cumulatively received over €500m of liberal public sector funding to enable them to create offshore wind clusters.
Secondly, we are dealing with a sector that is constrained by a need for large components and proximity to market.
SCALABILITY IS KEY Put quite simply, this is about scalability, and this is why ABLE is adopting a pioneering approach to the development of ABLE Marine Energy Park (AMEP). By providing a large super-port designed specifically for the marine renewables industry we will enable businesses to obtain true economies of scale (that can currently only be achieved outside of the UK), increase speed to market, expedite installation rates and crucially allow the sector to maintain good levels
of profitability whilst at the same time reducing the overall costs of energy.
Scalability is crucial and to achieve this, the UK must provide the infrastructure that the industry needs, not just for now, but for many years ahead. In the development of AMEP we seek to address a proportion of the UK’s well-publicised ports’ capacity issues that the industry so frequently remind us of. Furthermore, we will deliver the versatile and future- proofed marine infrastructure that provides flexibility and capacity to meet the growing requirements and trends of the offshore renewables industry.
COMPLEX AND IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS A number of crucial debates are still to be concluded between policy makers, planners, investors and a multitude of technicians and no doubt this will determine when the apparent burgeoning investment from the renewables industry happens.
Put simply, wouldn’t it be a shame if once this cocktail of complex considerations is concluded, the UK didn’t have the right ports and infrastructure to secure and sustain the swathes of economic development that this sector so clearly offers?
Able UK
www.ableuk.com e = See enhanced entry online
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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