- Energy Minister
signs agreement with 8 other countries to develop offshore wind grid
- £5 million new grants awarded for offshore wind technology research
- Renewable Energy Expert Chair appointed by government
- Energy Minister signs agreement with 8 other countries to
develop offshore wind grid
- £5 million new grants awarded for offshore wind technology research
- Renewable Energy Expert Chair appointed by government
Nine countries including the UK signed up to develop an
integrated offshore grid in the North and Irish Seas today. In the
margins of the Energy Council meeting in Brussels, Energy and
Climate Change Minister Lord Hunt signed the agreement along with
ministers from Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland.
The idea of a grid spanning European waters should make supplies
of electricity more secure for the participating countries by
making it easier to optimise offshore wind electricity production
. It will also help the EU as a whole to meet its renewable energy
target for 2020.
Lord Hunt said:
“Talks begin today in Copenhagen on how we can cut carbon
emissions worldwide. A large part of that will be continuing the
domestic decarbonisation of our energy supplies by moving to low
carbon sources including wind.
“We’re already the world leader in offshore wind here in the UK
and today’s announcements bring new funding and expert direction
to grow this vital new industry They also mean we can work with
other countries in the EU to increase our renewable energy supplies.”
Lord Hunt also announced the next round of Low Carbon Energy
demonstration capital grants for Vestas, Clipper and Mitsubishi,
and also the appointment of Professor Bernard Bulkin as the expert
chair of DECC’s Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED).
Vestas will receive £1.75 million from the Government and a
further £1.75 Million from the South East England Development
Agency, in addition to £6 million already awarded. Vestas have
announced today that with the award of their grant they will be
going ahead with their R & D facility on the Isle of
Wight. Vestas currently employ 160 on the Isle of Wight. By the
time they open the technology centre in 2011 they expect this to
grow to over 200 and then to nearly 400 over the following years.
Rob Sauven, Managing Director, Vestas Technology R&D said:
"With this investment Vestas has chosen the UK as its
location to build a strategically vital part of it global
technology capability. We will be able to build and test the
largest blades in the world including those related to our recent
offshore product announcements."
Pam Alexander, SEEDA Chief Executive, said:
“This award is good news for the UK’s position in the offshore
wind market and also for the Isle of Wight’s workforce and
economy. Vestas is a key employer offering high value jobs and we
are keen to retain them at the heart of the Isle of Wight’s centre
of excellence in advance composite materials. The R&D
centre will shortly be leading the development of new off shore
wind technologies for the rest of the world.”
On his appointment as expert Chair to ORED Professor Bulkin said:
"We need to move to low carbon energy supplies in order
to combat climate change and achieving our renewables targets for
2020 are a key part of that.
“This will be a challenging and
important role. I am looking forward to getting started at DECC.”
Notes to Editors
1. Ministers from UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands,
Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland signed a Political
Declaration in Brussels on 7 December launching an initiative to
cooperate on the development of offshore wind infrastructure in
the North Sea and Irish Seas. The initiative is called “The North
Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative”. The Declaration
highlights the role offshore wind energy can play in meeting the
EU’s 20-20-20 targets and the benefits an integrated offshore gird
can bring in terms of security of supply and market integration.
It notes that the complexity of the initiative calls for improved
multilateral collaboration and recognises that this requires a
common vision supported by Ministers. The intention is to prepare
at working level a strategic work plan in early 2010 with the aim
of coordinating offshore infrastructure development. This would be
enshrined in a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed later in 2010.
2. Professor Bulkin has broad experience in business and
government clean energy roles. He is a Professorial Fellow at
Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, and was the Chief Scientist at
BP. He is a partner with leading clean technology venture capital
firm Vantage Point.
3. The post is a part-time post as non-executive expert Chair of
the new Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED)within the
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The post was
created as part of the Government’s Renewable Energy Strategy
(RES) to drive delivery of a seven-fold increase in the use of
renewable energy by 2020.
4. This is a key post in the delivery of the UK’s renewables
targets, combining expert and representational roles. The
non-executive expert Chair will be working with industry
stakeholders and investors in the UK renewable energy sector.
Professor Bulkin will carry out representational activity
domestically (and occasionally overseas as necessary). He will be
responsible for providing strategic and expert guidance and
positive challenge to Ministers, management board and officials on
ORED’s objectives. This will involve regular progress review
meetings and ad-hoc strategic advice to ministers on specific
issues . He will also sit as a non-executive member of Renewables
Advisory Board (RAB), the Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB)
which advises the SoS on meeting the UK’s renewable energy target.
5. The grants are awarded under phase 2 of the Low Carbon Energy
Demonstration (LCED) capital grants scheme. The level of the
grants were
- Clipper Windpower Marine Limited: £ 2.5m
-
Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe Ltd: £0. 81m
- Vestas
Technology UK Limited: £ 1.75m (who also received £1.75m match
funding from SEEDA)
6. The second £10 million call under the Low Carbon Energy
demonstration capital grants scheme was launched on 27 July 2009,
following high demand for the first call which had been launched
on 28 May 2009. It was designed to address a critical barrier
facing the deployment of renewable offshore wind in the UK,,
namely the growth in demand for renewables generation beyond the
capacity of the supply chain to deliver. It is specifically aimed
at bringing forward the demonstration of new components or
technology to support the earlier deployment of large-scale
multi-MW wind turbines to enable their deployment within 2020
timescales. It also aims to provide a learning experience which
can improve confidence and help reduce future costs; and underpin
development of the industry by stimulating the UK supply chain.
The funding is partly from the joint DECC/BIS Strategic Investment
Fund and partly from DECC’s Environmental Transformation Fund.
7. SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, is the
Government-funded agency responsible for the sustainable economic
development of the South East of England – the driving force of
the UK’s economy. Through supporting businesses, encouraging
innovation, developing skills and engaging with public and private
partners, we aim to create a successful, sustainable future for
the region. For SEEDA media enquiries, please contact: Jessica
Stewart (Media Relations Manager): 01483 501307 jessicastewart@seeda.co.uk
8. The Department of Energy and Climate Change is central to the
UK Government’s leadership on climate change. We are pushing hard
for an ambitious global deal in Copenhagen in December to avert
the most dangerous impacts. Through our UK Low Carbon Transition
Plan we are giving householders and businesses the incentives and
advice they need to cut their emissions, we are enabling the
energy sector’s shift to the trinity of renewables, new nuclear
and clean coal, and we are stepping up the fight against fuel poverty.
Contacts:
Department of Energy and Climate Change
nds.decc@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Jonathan Farr
Phone: 0300 068 5223
jonathan.farr@decc.gsi.gov.uk