Wind Energy

Narec Receives £18.5M Grant for 100-MW Offshore Wind Power Platform

Narec receives an £18.5 million grant for Blyth offshore wind power test site. The UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced this week that it has assigned an £18.5 million grant to Narec to fund an offshore wind energy test site in Blyth, Northumberland.

Narec’s CEO, Andrew Mill stated: “We very much welcome this funding award and the continued support we have received from Central Government and Regional Development Agency, One North East, which is creating a national hub in North East England for the development of offshore wind turbines technologies.

Today’s announcement will enable Narec to progress with our plans to deliver a 100 MW grid connected offshore wind farm demonstration platform, with the capacity to accommodate up to 20 large-scale prototypes."

According to Narec, the facility will help manufacturers and wind farm developers find best practice approaches across the supply chain for the development, deployment and O&M of new turbine technologies, which will be most pertinent to the Crown Estate Round 3 Programme.

Business secretary Lord Mandelson announced the grant together with news that Mitsubishi intends to invest £100m in an offshore wind turbines project in the UK.

Mitsubishi Chief Executive Akio Fukui said the firm was looking at a number of locations in the UK where a factory will be built for the research to be carried out.

Ian Williams, director of Business and Industry at One North East said: "We are delighted the Government has chosen to support this groundbreaking project. Narec is supporting the Agency and our many partners to attract global companies to our region and this further investment develops further our comprehensive innovation and test offer for the global offshore wind industry."

Narec is a national centre for the UK dedicated to accelerating the deployment and grid integration of renewable energy and low carbon generation technologies, utilising wind, wave, tidal, solar PV and thermal power.

www.narec.co.uk/