The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult is partnering with Chinese outfit Tus-Wind on a new research centre at Yantai in Shandong province, China.
The TUS-ORE Catapult Technology Research Centre is a £2m, three-year investment backed by the Yantai local government.
It aims to help drive the development of innovative technologies and a wind farm of least 300MW with a minimum of 10% of UK content.
ORE Catapult said the centre represents a UK supply chain export opportunity of at least £90m and provides a launch pad for the European country’s access the Chinese wind market.
The centre will assist UK small and medium-sized companies in entering the Chinese market.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “This exciting international collaboration shows how UK companies, backed by government, are exporting products and expertise worth tens of millions of pounds around the world.”
ORE Catapult research and innovation director Stephen Wyatt said: “China is one of the world’s fastest growing markets for offshore wind technologies, and this presents a huge opportunity for technology transfer and for UK companies to export their innovative products and services to one of our largest global trading partners.”
TusEnergy senior vice president Yingzhuo Du said: “UK collaboration plays an ever more important role in global economic growth. The collaboration with ORE Catapult forms a bridge between two of the leading countries in the offshore renewable energy industry.
“It helps drive the cost of renewable energy down. Moreover, we expect to have new technologies developed and commercialised out of China-UK joint research projects.”
Image: ORE Catapult
UK bolsters China offshore ties
By EBS