Dogger Bank Wind Farm has welcomed 80 local supply chain representatives to the Port of Tyne, the home of the operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the offshore wind farm upon completion.
Delivered by business development organisation NOF, the event aims to demonstrate the Port of Tyne as a green energy destination and centre for innovation across many industries from logistics and automotive to leisure and renewables, located at the heart of north-east England.
Tom Nightingale, North East Stakeholder Manager for the 3.6GW Dogger Bank, said: “We are delighted to be hosting so many local suppliers today with our partners Port of Tyne.
“We are committed to providing local opportunities to businesses throughout the operational phase of the wind farm for its expected lifetime of 35 years.
“Over 50% of the O&M base build spend was with local companies and we hope to maintain this philosophy into our operations, providing long-term opportunities to the energy supply chain and the local business community.”
The Dogger Bank Wind Farm operations team will also provide a project update and highlight future opportunities for the supply chain, before providing a tour of the new state-of-the-art O&M base, which has been constructed and will be operated in line with the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework.
Matt Beeton, CEO of Port of Tyne said: “Today’s event is a great opportunity to mobilise the region’s skills and supply chain for the fantastic green opportunities on the horizon.
“The clean energy cluster we’re creating at the Port of Tyne together with the Dogger Bank JV partners will help repurpose today’s skills to take advantage of tomorrow’s opportunities.
“Through sustained investment in upgraded infrastructure, we’re determined to ensure that our green energy port provides the perfect development platform as the UK accelerates its path to a cleaner and greener future.”