The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has set up a new platform to link UK technology developers in the offshore wind sector with the market in China.
The International ORE Research Platform, which is funded by Innovate UK, aims to accelerate the development of offshore wind in China, by inviting UK companies to develop and implement specific solutions for the sector.
It will offer a conduit to meet with authorities and companies in China, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, developers and the Chinese Wind Energy Equipment Association.
The platform will initially see UK companies working on technical solutions for the over 200MW Shandong offshore wind farm in the South China Sea.UK companies will address specific challenges for the project starting at workshops from next month.
ORE Catapult technical bid manager James Battensby said: “There are major opportunities for high-tech companies in the UK offshore wind supply chain – with the Chinese government announcing it wishes to invest $100bn in wind power projects by 2020.
“While previous collaborations with China have been academic, this is important as it gives technology developers, including SMEs and those operating in related sectors, a direct opportunity to win business in the flourishing Chinese market.”
Image: reNEWS
