Wind Energy

General Electric to invest in the UK’s offshore wind power sector

RenewableUK, the country’s leading renewable energy trade association, welcomed General Electric’s announcement on investing 340 million Euros across Europe in the offshore wind energy sector, with a third planned for a UK based wind turbines manufacturing facility.

The investment is expected to create 1,900 jobs, and comes on the back of the Government’s £60 million Budget pledge for ports servicing the burgeoning UK offshore sector.

Dr. Gordon Edge, RenewableUK Director of Economics and Markets, said: "Towards the end of 2009 we have started seeing the first signs of a manufacturing rebirth around the UK’s offshore wind energy sector. Now that all Round 3 sites have been taken up and the potential scale of offshore developments stands at over 40 gigawatts, there is a palpable sense of opportunity.

RenewableUK has long maintained that strong and co-ordinated Government support for the UK to become the leading global centre of expertise for offshore wind energy can result in thriving manufacturing clusters and 57,000 jobs by 2020.

The fact that some of the world’s best known companies such as Mitsubishi and General Electric have now decided to invest in the UK and base their offshore wind farm operations here shows that such support pays dividends."

RenewableUK is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries. Formed in 1978, and with 594 corporate members, RenewableUK is the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK.

Wind power has been the world’s fastest growing renewable energy source for the last seven years, and this trend is expected to continue with falling costs of wind energy and the urgent international need to tackle CO2 emissions to prevent climate change.

In 2004, RenewableUK expanded its mission to champion wave and tidal energy and use the Association’s experience to guide these technologies along the same path to commercialisation. Our primary purpose is to promote the use of wind, wave and tidal power in and around the UK. We act as a central point for information for our membership and as a lobbying group to promote wind energy and marine renewables to government, industry, the media and the public. We research and find solutions to current issues and generally act as the forum for the UK wind, wave and tidal industry, and have an annual turnover in excess of four million pounds.

www.bwea.com