UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE - Wind Energy Network

SPONSORS OF EAST OF SCOTLAND
Aberdeen remains on the map
Aberdeen City and Shire’s rapid
emergence as a centre of excellence
for offshore renewables demonstrates
the unique role that the region
can play in helping to develop an
industrial-scale offshore wind sector.
40 years of energy experience
Key to the region’s success is its worldclass
energy expertise, gained from four
decades of offshore oil and gas industry
experience. These cutting-edge skills,
combined with the region’s reputation
for innovation and entrepreneurialism,
underpins its industry leading position in
offshore renewables, particularly offshore
wind.
Knowledge
sharing and the
supply chain
Oil and gas related
businesses and
organisations across
Aberdeen City and
Shire are successfully
supplying innovation,
transferring skills and
sharing their muchneeded
knowledge
and capitalising
on offshore wind
opportunities across
the world.
As a result, the region
is also assisting in
the development of
the offshore wind
supply chain which
is essential for
successful project
delivery.
Aberdeen
Renewable Energy Group (AREG)
Driving forward the region’s sustainable
energy credentials is award-winning
AREG, a private-public partnership which
works diligently to position the North-East
of Scotland at the forefront of renewable
energy.
Established more than 10 years ago
when renewables barely featured in the
UK energy mix, AREG set out with the
aim of making Aberdeen as famous for
renewables as it is for oil and gas.
Market realisation
It is fast realising this ambition with AREG
having significantly increased participation
in renewables. Its membership has grown
to close on 200 members and spanning all
renewable energy sectors - wind, marine,
biomass, solar and district heating.
European Offshore Wind
Deployment Centre (EOWDC)
AREG also supports the development
of projects and infrastructure to create a
leading renewable position in Scotland with
one of its most high-profile developments
being the innovative EOWDC.
The EOWDC - a joint venture with
Vattenfall, Europe’s sixth largest generator
of electricity, and Technip Offshore
Wind Ltd, a leading provider of subsea
Morag McCorkindale
engineering and construction products
and services - will deploy up to 11 ‘first
run of production’ offshore wind turbine
models to demonstrate their capabilities.
Renewable Energy Association
award
As a result of its achievements, AREG
received national recognition by being
awarded with the Best Region accolade at
the Renewable Energy Association’s 2010
British Renewable Energy Awards.
Morag McCorkindale, Chief Operating
Officer at AREG, said: “Since AREG’s
creation, our main objective has been
to develop and build a local renewables
industry. This includes transfering
existing and well advanced offshore oil
and gas supply chain skills and knowhow
into offshore renewable as well
as anchoring jobs and investment in
Aberdeen, Scotland and the UK.
“We strongly believe that this wealth
of oil and gas experience, as well as
its globally-recognised practices and
industry collaboration, is essential if the
UK is to meet its challenging targets for
renewable energy power generation. It
is also vital to capitalising on the global,
multi-billion pound offshore wind market.
“Not only do we have the assets and
engineering and technical skills but
many oil and gas mechanisms such
as recognised codes of practice,
sharing of information and supply chain
management are transferable.”
AREG members
Among AREG members at the forefront
of offshore renewables are Vattenfall,
Technip, Petrofac, John Wood Group,
JP Kenny Renewables, Senergy, Rotech,
Fugro Renewables, Balmoral Offshore
Engineering, NCS Survey, OEG Offshore,
Divex, Blue Water Shipping, Bond Pearce
LLP, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP and the
Aberdeen-based Scottish European Green
Energy Centre (SEGEC) which played a
pivotal role in securing European funding
for the EOWDC.
Ms McCorkindale said: “A large part
of AREG’s success is our aim to lead
and participate in projects identified
as having economic development
value, and to promote the region both
nationally and globally.
“One of the most notable is the EOWDC
off Aberdeen’s coast. The facility will
accelerate the development of offshore
wind in Scotland, the UK and Europe
with the significance of the project
having been recognised via a €40million
European Commission grant.”
She added: “A number of recent
Government reports have also concluded
that, with an enormous ramping up
of installed offshore wind capacity
expected in UK waters by the end of
this decade, deployment centres like the
EOWDC will play a vital role in helping to
reduce the cost of generation in offshore
wind and deliver more than £7billion in
added value to the UK economy.”
Supply chain expertise
The EOWDC also harnesses the region’s
leading position in offshore renewables’
supply chain expertise which is reflected
72
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk