The underwater industry holds the key to unlocking floating offshore wind – but it needs strategic government support, a UK trade body has said.
As the Scottish Labour Conference got underway today, Global Underwater Hub is urging the government to consider how supporting the subsea supply chain can help drive the clean energy transition.
GUH says energy is likely to be high on the agenda over the next three days of the conference, and it is hoping that its “clear and compelling case” for investment to unlock floating offshore wind will be heeded.
The trade and development body, which represents the UK’s £9.2bn underwater industry, wants to make sure the country is well-placed to develop the new generation of floating offshore technology.
Undersea cables, moorings and anchor systems are key components of the critical infrastructure required to deliver floating offshore wind, GUH said.
The trade body said the UK’s underwater industry excels in the manufacture and assembly of the components required for these complex systems and in overcoming the challenges of installation, operation and maintenance in hostile conditions and deepwater.
GUH chief executive Neil Gordon (pictured) said: “We’ve made a clear and compelling case to government as to why the underwater industry is of national strategic importance and why investment in this industrial sub-sector should be prioritised.
“Unlike fixed offshore wind in shallow waters, where large parts of the manufacture and fabrication have gone overseas, floating offshore wind is a nascent technology in more hostile and challenging conditions.
“But it’s one in which the UK has a very real competitive advantage – a subsea industry, with over 50 years’ offshore experience, whose technology and expertise are sought-after globally and which leads the way in dynamic undersea cables, moorings and anchoring systems, not to mention their installation, operation and maintenance.
“It is indeed a sector where we are world-beaters – and that’s not political hype!”
The sheer scale of what is proposed in offshore wind makes it one of the biggest industrial opportunities in a generation, Gordon added.
“But if the UK underwater industry is unable to meet the demand for subsea technology and services, due to a lack of investment, we will become a caretaker of other nations’ technology and expertise rather than an innovator and major supplier.
“We have a unique opportunity to create thousands of new green jobs, transfer oil and gas jobs into renewables, build vital domestic infrastructure and win export orders.
“Prioritising and investing in the UK’s underwater industry will help accelerate the transition of our oil and gas supply chain and cement the UK as an international centre of excellence.”
As well as significant upgrades to the grid to accept the increase in offshore renewables, GUH is calling for more investment in port infrastructure to support the manufacture of cables for floating offshore wind.
GUH says specific innovation funding is also required to develop cables and electrical systems, foundations and anchoring systems along with next-generation installation, operation and maintenance methods using AI and machine learning-based predictive maintenance.