Nort East consortium formed to bid for offshore wind farm licences
Tuesday 22 July 2008
A consortium of three north east organisations has been set up to bid for licences to develop offshore wind farms in the North Sea.
If the consortium is successful, it could lead to the formation of a new electricity supply company based in the region to bring the power generated to consumers.
Banks Developments and Hainsford Developments, supported by NaREC, have come together to form Northumbria Offshore Wind Ltd (NOW), which offers collective expertise in technical research and development, manufacturing, operations, maintenance, project development and offshore expertise.
The consortium believes that new offshore wind energy generation projects can act as a strong economic catalyst for the North East.
NOW will bid for the offshore licences as part of the Crown Estates licencing Round Three, which is currently seeking Expressions of Interest in progressing such projects.
The NOW bid will uniquely include plans to form a new electricity supply company to offer the ‘green electricity’ created in the North Sea to both business and domestic consumers.
The bid, which is supported by One NorthEast, aims to build on earlier renewable energy successes in the region, including the arrival of wind turbine manufacturer Clipper Inc to develop the world’s largest offshore turbine at Blyth in Northumberland, and will accelerate the region’s progress towards becoming the national centre of excellence in renewable energy.
The North East pioneered the development of marine wind turbines with Wansbeck Blyth Harbour Wind Farm and its recently consented redevelopment will allow Wansbeck District to secure over 40% of its electricity from wind.
Alan Rutherford Chairman of NaREC said “This is a great initiative which will spawn major employment opportunitiesand build international knowledge based enterprises with their roots and expertise in the North East.” Last updated: Tuesday 22 July 2008, 13:13 PM
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