The “energy coast” is being energised from Furness. Developments over the past two weeks show the crucial role that the area is playing in creating a brighter, more secure, energy future for Britain whilst “opening doors” for local firms.
Last week Dong and Vattenfall gave a presentation in Barrow on what their two new offshore wind-farms will bring, how they will look and and how Barrow, Mostyn and Belfast will be used for different aspects of the projects.  A large number of local firms heard that Barrow will deliver piles and transition sections and become a base for long term maintenance of both projects.  Belfast and Mostyn will deliver the “topsides”.
Local firms like Wildcat Marine, Associated British Ports, Rovtech, James Fisher, and Orwelco sought to identify new business. However they discovered that the lion’s share of the work has been handed to continental operators. Britain’s main success is an installation contract for Seajacks UK Ltd. Germany won the turbines through Siemens and delivery of the foundations through Erndtebrücker Eisenwerk GmbH & Co. KG. Benelux countries provide foundation  and offshore substation installation through Geosea NV (Belgium), Ballast Nedam (NL) Scaldis Salvage and Marine Contractors N.V. Scandinavia is involved with offshore substation and array cables coming from Bladt Industries A/S , NKT Cables A/S of (Denmark) and Draka Norsk Kabel A/S (Norway). Export cables come from Italy’s Prysmian PowerLink Srl.
This overseas dominance could enable local firms to build new supplier relationships with the continental providers and gradually open up larger shares of work on future schemes around UK coasts. Absence of a strong UK interventionist policy to build an indigenous supply chain capability as practiced by Spanish authorities means more “British” offshore wind farms may rely on foreign contractors capabilities. That is why we are working with Scottish Power Renewables on their scheme to identify local capability and foresee local firms gaining from embedding operations and maintenance activity in Furness.
This week Ofgem may issue its first licence for building a gas storage cavern under the Irish Sea to Gateway Storage Company. Provided Gateway can raise the £600m finance needed, it will address a forecast gas supplies shortage in five years time. Gateway already have strong energy company and financial institutional interest.
Gateway’s gas project may offer better sub-contract prospects for local firms, because it will use the extensive land “zoned” for energy use next to an established gas processing hub at Rampside near Barrow. Supply chain development work led by Centrica Energy has evolved in a way which has harnessed and embedded local firms’ skills and capabilities to support gas operations and maintenance. Gateway could tap into this or bring in capability.
Locally manufactured solid state lighting could reduce costs of operating public buildings by improving their energy efficiency. In the past fortnight we have brought industry and local authorities together to assess how this can start as the third strand of our partnership to energise the energy coast.