...from £several billion.
From Today's Moderator: Davey and the DECC are at it again.
Adam Bruce has accepted the position of Chairman of the new Offshore Wind Programme Board. The Offshore Wind Programme Board has been established following the recommendations in the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Task Force report. It will comprise a small number of senior representatives from industry (including developers and supply chain), Government and Statutory Nature Conservation advisors and is based on successful models used in other sectors such as the Oil and Gas PILOT group.
The Programme Board’s objective will be to treat the UK’s offshore wind sector as one business, proactively considering its risks and assigning the appropriate participants to work on solutions to the issues raised.
Secretary of State Edward Davey said:
“We need to get the economy moving again and a massive expansion in home grown, clean, renewable energy capacity is central to this.
“As well as being a clean, green, home-grown energy source offshore wind offers significant employment opportunities for industry across all areas of the UK. However we are clear that costs must come down. I am delighted that Adam Bruce has accepted the role of Chairman to take this challenge forward.
“I look forward to working closely with Adam and the other members of the Programme Board in my role as joint-Chair of the Offshore Wind Developers Forum”....
Don't miss the ...Notes for editors
- As announced in the UK Renewable Energy Roadmap in July 2011, the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction was established to set out a path and action plan to reduce the costs of offshore wind to £100/MWh by 2020. It reported to DECC & Devolved Administration Ministers in June this year, with a number of recommendations for Government and industry to take forward.
- Adam Bruce is currently the Global Head of Corporate Affairs at Mainstream Renewable Power. He is the former UK Chief Executive of Airtricity, which was sold in 2008 to SSE plc. Mr Bruce was Chairman of Renewable UK from 2007-2010. He spent 10 years with the law firm McGrigors, where he was a founding director of the firm’s Public Policy practice. He sits on the Boards of the Friends of the Supergrid, the European Wind Energy Association, and the Global Wind Energy Council. He is a Fellow of the RSA.
- The OWPB will report initially to the Offshore Wind Developers Forum, which is jointly chaired by Keith Anderson of Scottish Power and the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate change, Edward Davey. The Offshore Developers Forum is a forum which brings together Government and industry, through the offshore wind developers, to work on solutions to remove barriers that have the potential to impede the viability and deliverability of offshore wind in the UK.
Does this mean they will endeavour to discover how to part the waves of the North Sea and abate the storms thereof?
Update 20.10.2012, 8.20am [TM]
I see that the Offshore Wind Developers appear to be under the aegis of The Crown Estate.
Offshore Wind Developers Forum
Together with the Government and senior executives from the 17 developers working on offshore wind projects, we have established the Offshore Wind Developers Forum.
UK offshore wind vision
"The UK to be the centre of offshore wind technology and deployment, with a competitive supply chain in the UK, providing over 50 per cent of the content of offshore wind farm projects."
Presumably the other 50% is from overseas manufacturers.