Labour’s Shadow Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, along with the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Morecambe and Lunesdale, Lizzi Collinge, showcased their support for the UK’s offshore wind supply chain today during a visit to Venterra Group company, Balltec – a global provider of high integrity mechanical connectors for critical applications in the offshore wind sector.
During the visit to Balltec’s site in Morecambe, Lancashire, the Labour Party representatives were impressed by the high level of technical expertise, cutting-edge engineering capabilities and innovative product development displayed in the workshop, all of which are being used towards providing some of the world’s most prestigious and challenging offshore wind projects with systems, equipment and services. With over a thousand products in use around the world, over 70% of Balltec products, which are designed, manufactured, and built in the UK, are exported, highlighting the potential for British firms to continue to be pioneers in engineering.
The tour included demonstrations of Balltec’s latest new design, the Tension Leg Platform (TLP) connector, as well as a pre-piling template LiftLOK tool, which has a Safe Working Load (SWL) of 2,350 mT SWL – the equivalent of lifting 154 London double-decker buses.
Balltec is part of Venterra Group – a global offshore wind services company, supporting the industry’s rapid expansion and leading role in the energy transition. It is building a service offering across the windfarm lifecycle, comprising Engineer, Build and Support services through a combination of acquisition and investment to generate accelerated growth in the fast-expanding market.
Russell Benson, Managing Director of Balltec – a Venterra Group company, said: “Scaling up the offshore wind supply chain is critical for helping to meet the UK’s net zero targets. It’s great to hear the recognition today from Labour’s Shadow Energy Secretary and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Morecambe and Lunesdale of the important role that companies like Balltec, a Venterra Group company, are playing in the clean energy transition.
“We’re proud to deliver pioneering solutions and services for the offshore wind industry as well as providing local green jobs in the North West. We want to support the UK to become a best-in-class R&D and innovation centre and realise its ambitions of being global leaders in offshore wind.”
Ed Miliband, Labour’s Shadow Energy Secretary said: “The North West can be a clean energy powerhouse for Britain. Labour is determined to make this happen, through Great British Energy and our British Jobs Bonus.
“Our aim is for thousands of jobs to flow into the region, as we rebuild supply chains here at home and invest in our communities.”
Lizzi Collinge, Labour PPC for Morecambe and Lunesdale said: “Morecambe and Lunesdale is already key to our clean energy future, with companies like Balltec – an offshore wind equipment supplier, and the wider wind and solar industries, as well as our two nuclear power stations providing thousands of good jobs. I want to see this sector grow and Great British Energy will ensure more jobs for the long term.”
Venterra Group Plc was formed in 2021 as a dedicated offshore wind services platform, supporting the industry’s rapid expansion and leading role in the clean energy transition. Comprised of nine sector-leading service providers with expertise and experience across engineer, build and support phases of the offshore wind farm lifecycle, Venterra Group and its 600+ global workforce is helping developers and tier one contractors to bring wind power capacity online more quickly, competitively and sustainably. For further information please visit www.venterra-group.com
