The offshore floating wind sector represents a "second coming" for UK supply chain companies that have previously missed out to foreign competitors, a key industry voice has said.
Neil Gordon, chief executive of the Global Underwater Hub, which is led by former SMD CEO Andrew Hodgson as chair, said the opportunity for work presented by floating offshore wind could be greater than before. He has urged the UK to become a "first mover" and prepare itself to supply a plethora of projects starting in UK waters and spreading around the world.
Mr Gordon said: "There’s been much hand-wringing over the years about the loss of business for the UK in fixed offshore wind, when much of the fabrication ended up overseas and many of the developers were not UK-based. A UK Government report, four years ago, described the lack of UK firms in the offshore wind supply chain as a "missed opportunity” and stated that a more strategic approach was needed by government and industry in the future.
