Renewables and oil industries set for major gathering at largest ever offshore wind conference in Scotland

Organised by Scottish Renewables and Scottish Enterprise, the event picks up from the initial Ministerial Summit held in December where the key debate on how the oil and gas industry can make significant contributions to the offshore wind sector first began.

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond will give the opening address to hundreds of delegates on Tuesday (1^st).

The two-day conference and exhibition will also hear from leading businesses such as Gamesa, Subsea 7, BiFab, Siemens, Technip, Oil&Gas UK, ScottishPower Renewables, Scottish & Southern Energy as well as the Wood Group and The Crown Estate, as they join together to explore opportunities where traditional industries can help Scotland realise its potential of building a world-leading offshore wind sector.

Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “This will be the largest ever offshore wind event in Scotland and we hope this will be the latest stage of ongoing work where expertise we have garnered through many years of the oil and gas industry in the north east can now be transferred to the offshore renewable industry.

“Our offshore renewable’s sector is developing fast but lessons from oil and gas will play a major part in achieving our ambitions to build a low carbon economy around alternative sources of energy.

“Companies like Petrofac, Wood Group, Subsea 7 and Technip are already winning business in renewables and there are big opportunities for other parts of the offshore engineering sector.

“The potential for 28,000 direct jobs from the offshore wind industry means it is vital to get this right for Scotland’s economy and environment.”

Adrian Gillespie, director of energy and low carbon technologies at Scottish Enterprise, said: "The offshore wind industry offers huge opportunities for Scotland and this event is a great way of bringing businesses together to hear first hand the benefits of diversifying and expanding into this rapidly developing market.

"Much has happened since the very successful Share Fair events last year and already we have a fast growing supply chain offering global expertise right across the spectrum of R&D, planning, manufacturing, installation and operations and maintenance.

“In recent months we have heard significant Scottish announcements from some of the trailblazers for the global offshore wind industry including Mitsubishi, Gamesa, Scottish and Southern Energy, Scottish Power Renewables, BiFab, Subsea 7 and Technip, and we are extremely encouraged by the rapid momentum Scotland's offshore wind sector is gaining.

“The National Renewables Infrastructure Plan is now well into delivery and the associated National Renewables Infrastructure Fund has already highlighted a number of opportunities now being developed which would bring significant new employment to the Scottish Offshore Wind sector.

“Many more opportunities exist for Scottish companies and now is the time for businesses to develop an early lead in the vast offshore wind market.”

First Minister Alex Salmond, who will deliver the conference’s opening address, said: “The Scottish Government is committed to the development of a successful and sustainable offshore wind industry in Scotland. Offshore wind offers huge economic rewards to Scotland with an expected £30 billion of investment planned over the next 10 years.

“Scotland, and Aberdeen in particular, has an added advantage of more than 40 years expertise in the oil & gas sector. The Offshore Energy Summit I hosted in Aberdeen last December brought together leaders in our oil & gas and renewable energy sectors. This week’s conference - which devotes its second day to the opportunities that exist in the offshore wind supply chain – will build on this important work.

“Clearly there remain challenges ahead but it is clear that Scotland has the expertise, the ambition, and the momentum to build an offshore wind industry that is a sustainable and integral part of Scotland’s economic landscape.”

Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group's chairman Jeremy Cresswell said: "Offshore wind presents huge business opportunities for Scotland, particularly for Aberdeen City and Shire with its world-class oil and gas expertise, but it is vital that we create the right underpinning for the new industry. The Offshore Wind conference is major industry platform and a key enabler for helping to put this robust infrastructure in place.

“A fundamental element of the required infrastructure is the research and demonstration required to prove new turbines for this new market. One of AREG's flagship projects, the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, is not only be well positioned to deliver this but would support innovative energy technologies - deployment, operations and maintenance methods - that will create further jobs and growth in the future."