MEMBER NEWS: OWGP launches £4.2M support package for UK offshore wind supply chain

May 19, 2021
MEMBER NEWS: OWGP launches £4.2M support package for UK offshore wind supply chain

The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has launched its latest and largest tranche of grant funding and tailored business support for UK offshore wind supply chain companies in a package totalling £4.2M.

The package includes a £3.5M Development Grant Funding Competition for transformative supply chain projects and a £700K Wind Expert Support Toolkit (WEST) programme for needs-focused expert business support.

Development Grants

In its largest funding call to date, the OWGP is releasing £3.5 million for Development Grants to be awarded to high-growth supply chain companies. Development Grants of between £100K and £1 million are available for capital and operational expenditure on projects that will unlock significant growth potential in UK content, jobs and export opportunities. This latest call builds on the £2.5M of grant funding already allocated to successful companies in the last 18 months.

Development Grants are available to UK companies and will be awarded on a competitive basis, with successful proposals demonstrating a long-term business plan and a clear ambition for growth in the sector. Eligible applicants can request up to £1M in a single grant application to cover up to 50% of the total project budget.

To date, OWGP has awarded funding to over 20 offshore wind supply chain projects, including the development of innovative robotic solutions for welding and component assembly, machine learning solutions to enhance wind farm accessibility and O&M decision making, and virtual reality simulation training for offshore wind workers.

For more details on Development Grants and to apply, please visit https://owgp.org.uk/about/grant-funding/

Wind Expert Support Toolkit (WEST)

Building on the success of the Wind Expert Support Toolkit pilot programme that supported 32 companies in 2020-21, OWGP is now accepting applications for the refreshed WEST Programme. The 2021 WEST programme will offer £700k of needs-focused support to over 60 new and existing offshore wind supply chain companies. OWGP is working with an established framework of expert delivery partners to provide bespoke support such as targeted specialist advice, market intelligence and business planning to accelerate the growth of UK companies in the offshore wind sector.

For more details on WEST and to apply, please visit https://owgp.org.uk/about/business-transformation-programmes/

The OWGP plays a key role in the delivery of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal and is funded by members of the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC), with a budget of £100m over ten years. Delivered by ORE Catapult, the programme supports the growth of UK businesses looking to capitalise on the huge opportunities offered by the global offshore wind sector.

Danielle Lane, Co-Chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council and UK Country Manager for Vattenfall, said: “The offshore wind industry is investing millions of pounds in developing a world-class supply chain so that innovative companies around the country can win contracts for goods and services here and abroad. The UK Government has recently published new proposals on offshore wind supply chain plans for the next CfD auction, which are challenging for project developers. Key initiatives, such as today’s announcement by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, will help UK companies to join the growing number of UK firms entering our sector, maximising the economic benefits of offshore wind for this country”.

Over 750 companies have now registered an interest on the OWGP website, where further information on Grant Funding and Business Transformation programmes can be found. For more information and to apply, visit the OWGP website at https://owgp.org.uk/

Get in touch

AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

Contact Us
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AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables
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Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
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The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy
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Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall
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Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise