A premier deep-water offshore energy location based at the Port of Blyth, which is becoming central to the UK Wind energy sector, will be headline sponsor at Offshore Wind Week – a major regional conference happening this month.
Energy Central, situated on the East Coast of the UK, provides nearly 200 hectares of development land strategically positioned with quayside access. Over £25m of investment has been secured to ensure that Energy Central offers the right operational environment for companies working within the offshore wind sector.
Energy Central offers a selection of strategic development sites. Several investors are already in place, and Energy Central aims to attract further investment from the offshore wind energy sector at Offshore Wind North East 2017 in County Durham this month.
The Offshore Wind North East 2017 Conference and Exhibition, taking place on the 9th November at Hardwick Hall, is part of a series of events across the UK to celebrate Offshore Wind Week 2017 between 6th and 10th November 2017 in partnership with Renewable UK.
The North East conference, organised by NOF Energy and Energi Coast, will provide delegates from across the offshore wind industry with updates and insights with over 300 guests and speakers from Statoil, Dong, Siemens Gamesea.
Energy Central will showcase the activity taking place including EDF Energy Renewables’ new offshore wind farm off the coast of Blyth. Located less than 7 km offshore, the project has seen five turbines installed with a total capacity of 41.5 MW. As well as this, Statnett and National Grid are working together to construct the North Sea Link – an electricity interconnector between Norway and the UK creating the world’s longest subsea interconnector to exchange power between the two countries.
Energy Central has four strategic sites with Enterprise Zone status offering financial incentives to support investment – Northumberland Energy Park, Bates Terminal & Wimbourne Quays, Dun Cow Quay and Commissioners Quay –and established sites South Harbour and Battleship Wharf.
These sites, together with a number of key assets such as the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, a Port training centre and a collection of Newcastle University research facilities, make up Energy Central. The quayside location on the Blyth Estuary is well connected by road, rail and air and the energy sector in the area is supported by an established supply chain, a skilled workforce and a pipeline of talent.
Situated mid-may between key off-shore centres in Aberdeen and Great Yarmouth, Energy Central is ideally located to support the mobilisation, construction and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) for Offshore wind projects at Dogger Bank, the Firth of forth and Hornsea.
Cllr Richard Wearmouth Chair of Arch, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Energy Central. The site in Northumberland is ideal for offshore wind energy sector businesses looking to locate and grow in an area that offers benefits including an experienced and ready-made skills base, Enterprise Zone status and a £25m investment to add a new deep-water quay.”
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