NEWS > Danish wind farm delegation visits Yorkshire
Published: Wednesday, 22 Sep, 2010
A delegation of Danish companies involved in the offshore wind industry visited Yorkshire and Humber at the beginning of September 2010 as part of a drive to make the region a multi billion pound player in offshore wind and energy generation. The inward mission showcased the growing offshore wind energy sector in Yorkshire and Humber and developed partnerships between regional businesses and
A delegation of Danish companies involved in the offshore wind industry visited Yorkshire and Humber at the beginning of September 2010 as part of a drive to make the region a multi billion pound player in offshore wind and energy generation. The inward mission showcased the growing offshore wind energy sector in Yorkshire and Humber and developed partnerships between regional businesses and their Danish counterparts - the pioneers in offshore wind power. Coordinated by Enterprise Europe Yorkshire and supported by AEM Yorkshire and Team Humber Marine Alliance and other key regional organisations, the centre piece of the three day visit was a matchmaking event, taking place in the afternoon of September 2nd at the World Trade Centre Hull & Humber. Companies represented on the inward mission included Nordic Offshore, FORCE Technology, Fair Wind Solutions, SCANCON, Copenhagen Capacity, Site Facility, AX-s, ACTA, Roblon, Muehlha and U-Rope Access. Yorkshire and Humber is already home to over 20 wind energy projects including ‘Humber Gateway’ and ‘Westernmost Rough’ - two of the UK’s largest offshore wind farm projects.
The delegation was welcomed by North East Lincolnshire Council at the 110 acre, ‘Europarc’ business centre, before touring Port of Grimsby East. The port is a key operations and maintenance base for wind farm projects and currently provides facilities for offshore activity of Siemens and Centrica. In the afternoon delegates from regional businesses including Cosalt, Grimsby, Able UK, Hull, and Sky Climber Wind Solutions, Scarborough held 20 minute one-to-one meetings with Danish delegates and took part in an informal networking session. The following day delegates toured MTL Group’s plant in Sheffield. The company is a specialist contract manufacturer already working on large fabricated steel structures for offshore foundations.
Tim Barraclough, a consultant at Enterprise Europe Yorkshire has been instrumental in coordinating the three day programme with his Danish Enterprise Europe Network counterpart, Thomas Anderson. Tim said: “The importance of this industry to the region as a whole can’t be underestimated. The Humber estuary is centrally located to the three largest Round 3 offshore wind development zones - Dogger Bank, Hornsea and Norfolk. Hornsea alone will provide enough electricity to meet 4% of all electricity demand in the UK and will power approximately 3 million homes. Estimates suggest that the industry could be worth up to GBP50bn the region by 2020, bringing jobs and wealth to the people of Yorkshire and Humber. This visit will lead to new ventures and partnerships that drive growth in the sector to the next level.”
Dr Henry Shirman is MTL Group’s Managing Director. He added: “Working on offshore projects poses different engineering challenges for companies supplying in to the sector. This visit is a great opportunity to showcase what we do and demonstrate our ability to deliver high quality engineered components for the renewable energy sector. “I look forward to welcoming all the delegates, forming new relationships and increasing our involvement in the industry.”
Getting a foothold in new markets can be a challenge but Enterprise Europe Yorkshire can help as it is part of Europe’s largest business support network with a presence in 46 countries and 280 cities - acting as a local gateway to the European marketplace. Co-funded by Yorkshire Forward and the European Commission, the Enterprise Europe Yorkshire team of advisors works with businesses, universities and research bodies to help them make the most of opportunities overseas.
<< Go Back
|
