UK oil and gas, aerospace and defence sector companies have joined renewables players to begin the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership’s (OWGP) Wind Expert Support Toolkit (WEST) Pilot Programme.
More than 40 companies applied for the scheme, with the highest scoring applicants selected for support.
WEST will support the growth of new and existing offshore wind supply chain companies by providing needs-focused expert business support, market intelligence, and insight into the sector for both existing and cross-sector supply chain companies.
Two phases of WEST activity will start in December 2020 and January 2021, with a total of £200,000 of funding allocated to support the companies.
The selected companies will work with offshore wind and business support experts from across the UK, including representatives from 4C Offshore, BVG Associates, Everoze, Lumen Energy & Environment, Opergy, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, RTC North and Xodus Group.
The selected delivery partners will provide bespoke and targeted specialist advice to their paired supply chain companies to help accelerate the UK’s growth in offshore wind.
The WEST programme will support companies with products and services across the full offshore wind farm lifecycle, from subsea survey and inspection, material and product manufacture, to safety, maintenance and operational services.
The OWGP is part of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal between industry and the UK Government and is funded by the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC), with a budget of £100m over 10 years.
The programme supports the growth of UK businesses looking to capitalise on the huge opportunities offered by the global offshore wind sector.
A new tranche of funding from OWIC members has enabled this new programme to be created, forming part of the UK’s green economic recovery following the global Covid-19 health pandemic.
OWGP board chair Martin Whitmarsh said “I am delighted to see so many ambitious and forward thinking UK companies engaging in the OWGP’s WEST Pilot programme.
“It is a strong statement of intent for OWGP, showing that we will support UK supply chain companies to gain market insight and intelligence to accelerate their growth in and into the sector.
“I look forward to seeing these organisations flourish and create a stable foundation for UK offshore wind supply chain content.”