Global Underwater Hub (GUH) is making a case for government support for the underwater industry which, it says, is key to unlocking the emerging floating offshore wind opportunity, valued at £270 billion domestically, with a serviceable export market of £1 trillion.
The trade and development body, which represents the country’s £9.2 billion underwater industry, wants to make sure the UK is well-placed to develop the new generation of floating offshore technology, creating thousands of jobs and positioning the UK as a global centre.
Undersea cables, moorings, and anchor systems are key components of the critical infrastructure required to deliver floating offshore wind. The UK’s underwater industry excels in the manufacture and assembly of components for complex systems and in overcoming the challenges of installation, operation, and maintenance in hostile conditions and deep-water.
Neil Gordon, CEO of GUH, said: “We’ve made a 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. It is an industry in which the UK has a real competitive advantage – a subsea industry, with over fifty years’ offshore experience, who leads the way in dynamic undersea cables, moorings, and anchoring systems, not to mention their installation, operation, and maintenance.”
Gordan added: “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. Not only will it secure our energy supply, but also protect critical underwater energy and communications infrastructure.”
In its response to Invest 2035, the government’s industrial strategy consultation, GUH set out what the underwater industry will need to take advantage of the opportunity presented by floating offshore wind and maximise economic value for the UK.
Project certainty, speedier and less complicated consenting, and investment in research and development, port infrastructure, and grid capacity are among the requests of government.
Neil Gordon continued: “We have the capability but don’t currently have the capacity to meet the demand that will arise from the scale of offshore wind projects in the pipeline. A clear pipeline of projects, with streamlined and better resourced consenting, is needed to encourage the investment that will allow the supply chain to adapt and scale up. The underwater industry stands ready to help the UK meet its clean energy ambitions and to maximise value to the UK from doing so. However, recognition of its strategic importance and prioritised investment from government is crucial.”
Key requests set out by GUH:
- The scale of floating offshore wind is huge and there is an urgent need to invest in research, development, and innovation that is commensurate with the opportunity. More support and investment are required to increase academic research to commercialise new science and technology and to enable early-stage technology companies to scale up.
- Specific innovation funding is required to develop cables and electrical systems as well as foundations and anchoring systems along with next-generation installation, operation, and maintenance methods using AI and machine learning-based predictive maintenance. Investment in digital technology should be focused on the development and adoption of unmanned and remote solutions, data collection for consenting, remote operation and maintenance surveys, and protection against cyber and physical attack.
- Investment in port infrastructure is crucial for floating offshore wind, which requires large, deep-water ports. The UK currently has very few ports which can support manufacturing of cables and construction assembly and integration of floating offshore wind. Delivering the necessary upgrades to those that can will require significant investment and time to deliver ahead of project construction.
Significant upgrades and reinforcements are needed for the grid to accept the dramatic increase in energy from offshore renewables wind and generate revenues for investors. The UK Government must provide a timeline and demand signals in order to attract grid investment.
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