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Offshore Wind Infrastructure Bags £1BN in Private-Public Deal

Elizabeth Greenberg

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offshore wind funding
Public and private industry bodies have come together to raise £1 billion for offshore wind supply chain infrastructure investment.

A deal between public and private institutions will invest £1 billion in offshore wind supply chains across Scotland, Teesside, South Wales, and East Anglia.

The government and Great British Energy have joined forces with industry and the Crown Estate for the investment to help secure Britain’s energy supply chain through manufacturing facilities and skilled jobs.

Investment comes after the Spending Review confirmed the biggest programme of investment in homegrown energy in history, according to the government, and forms part of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy.

The Crown Estate has pledged £400m to support new infrastructure for offshore wind, including in ports, supply chain manufacturing, research, and testing facilities. This is in addition to the £300m of funding from Great British Energy.

Industry has matched this funding with a further £300m, aiming to deliver investment to supply chain supporting advanced turbine technology and foundations and substructures.

“This is an unprecedented collaboration between public and private investors with Great British Energy crowding in millions of private sector investment from industry and The Crown Estate, to ensure that British companies and workers win the global race for clean energy,” energy secretary Ed Miliband said.

“We are witnessing the coming of age of Britain’s green industrial revolution as we build this new era of clean energy abundance, helping deliver new jobs, energy security and lower household’s bills through our Plan for Change.”


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The overall investment will back the manufacturing of turbines, floating platforms, HVDC cables, and cutting-edge technologies, alongside upgrading vital port infrastructure from Leith and Teesside to Great Yarmouth and Port Talbot.

“Today’s announcement highlights the unique role Great British Energy can play in the market,” Great British Energy chief executive Dan McGrail said.

“By providing state-backed, catalytic investment, we can deliver on our remit to crowd-in investment, giving much needed certainty to developers and investors in the clean energy sector. GBE will continue to support domestic supply chains, driving sustainable economic growth for all corners of the UK.”

Great British Energy will bring together the National Wealth Fund, The Scottish National Investment Bank, The Crown Estate, Crown Estate Scotland and The Development Bank of Wales, agreeing to develop a unified public finance ‘ecosystem’ to build Britain’s offshore wind supply chains.

The government will also allocate up to £544 million from its Clean Industry Bonus, which provides funding to offshore wind developers for prioritising their investment into some of Britain’s most deprived communities, and in cleaner supply chains.

Elizabeth Greenberg

Staff Writer

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