Developers, trade unions and supply chain companies have agreed to take “urgent action” to give Scottish companies the best chance of securing contracts on future offshore wind farms.
The Holyrood government said representatives of the sector will undertake a strategic capability assessment of fabrication in the UK to identify the areas of potential growth as part of an agreement reached during an offshore wind summit held in Edinburgh today.
For its part, the Scottish government has agreed to examine ways to examine new supply chain conditions for developers.
The summit was held by Finance Secretary Derek Mackay and Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse (pictured).
“Scotland has all the natural resources to make it an ideal location for offshore wind, but recent projects have failed to deliver significant economic opportunities for Scottish businesses,” said Mackay.
“I will continue to champion the strengths, and potential, of our indigenous supply chain. But now it is time for the offshore sector to do more by awarding contracts to our supply chain.”
Offshore Wind Industry Council chair Benj Sykes, who attended the summit, said the sector will work with Holyrood to ensure the benefits of investment are felt locally in communities.
He said: “We have increased our ambitions for UK content and set a 2030 target of 60%…The industry is working together to establish a new Offshore Wind Growth Partnership of up to £100m which will help UK supply chain companies to compete for multi-billion pound business opportunities in this thriving sector.”