More than 50 highly technical jobs could soon be anchored in Grimsby as plans are unveiled for the town to become the global centre of offshore wind operational excellence.
Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, one of a network of elite technology and innovation centres in the 海角视频, is to establish a base focused on the maintenance and management of turbines, and the technology that will be deployed to do it.
Long talked about as a requirement for the world-leading cluster alongside the training that has been developed and attracted to the area , the search is now on for a site, with port location likely.
Details were being shared at the Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse conference hosted by Humber Local Enterprise Partnership in Hull today.
Ahead of it, in an exclusive interview with Business Live , Chris Hill, operational performance director with Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult set out the proposal that could act as a magnet for maritime technology companies, with skills not normally associated with the sector to feed in.
He said: “We have the largest fleet of offshore wind in the world and when we look at the life cycle there is very high 海角视频 content in the operational phase. As a result we have a competitive advantage here in the 海角视频. We need to drive a move towards remote operation of offshore wind farms.
“When you think of Industry 4.0, it is data, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, automation and robotics – people are changing the way they do things and that is driven by a number of things: reducing cost, improving health and safety performance and getting more energy out of the wind farms. What we are trying to do is combine existing competitive advantage in the 海角视频 with world-leading expertise in various parts of the economy. Our vision is to drive the 海角视频 as a leader of remote operations of offshore plant.”
And where to base it was clear, with Grimsby now at more than 2.6GW of installed capacity, with a project pipeline to 8GW identified.
Most Read
“The Humber services the largest amount of offshore wind capacity in the 海角视频 and Grimsby particularly is the single largest port for operations and maintenance activity and growth in the foreseeable future,” Mr Hill said. “We need to build on the vision we have to make the Humber a nationally recognised centre for operations and maintenance, driving the changes that are needed.
“We are seeking to locate our team and expand our team in Grimsby. We are keen to help facilitate and build a cluster around operations and maintenance and operations and maintenance services, connecting companies to the industry and people working in the sector.”
A team of seven are in the region already, with 30 across the Catapult. In the past six years it has been involved in a portfolio of projects valued at £10 million for the O&M sector.
“We are looking to expand the team, we are going to be appointing a new general manager to drive and lead it, and we are looking to expand the technical capability with more engineers and data scientists to support the Industry 4.0 drive.
“Our 10 year ambition is in the region of 50 to 70 people. It is a significant journey, and dependent on how successful we, and other sector members are. With the growth plan for the industry, I believe there is potential and opportunity to do that.”
The O&M Centre of Excellence could develop new “entrepreneurial solutions” from the academic sphere, while drawing new skills in from digital and data competencies. Communications will also be a key plank to support remote operations, with wind farms ranging from seven to 140km away.
“A lot of the solutions are going to come from people not working in the sector,” Mr Hill said, eyeing up the differing ranges of the farms served out of Grimsby as a huge benefit to the work to be undertaken.
Don’t miss
“Access to wind farms and associated infrastructure will be crucial and Grimsby does give that opportunity to look at the different scenarios,” he said.
“There are clearly benefits in doing this. As you increase the amount of remote working the proximity to the wind farm becomes less important. Part of our vision is to see the 海角视频 become the global centre for operating wind farms. It is quite a vision, but it has got to be the big goal.
“It makes sense for us to try and be nearer the people working in the sector and the port, and one of the first tasks is to try and find a location.
"We are already supporting the work of 30 people, and this is a major strategic objective. We regard this as a major area, and will be seeking third party support as we go forward.”
It will build on a strong academic relationship, with University of Hull a key partner at the existing base at Ergo, at Hessle’s Bridgehead Business Park. Expertise will be pulled in from East Anglia, Liverpool Bay, the North East and Scotland, with services offered back.
Latest offshore wind stories from the Humber:
Want more business news straight to your inbox?
BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts.
You can sign up to receive morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss.
Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.