A new £2 million collaboration between the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult (
www.ore.catapult.org.uk) and the University of Hull (
www.hull.ac.uk) will see the launch of an offshore wind Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Centre of Excellence in the Humber region.
The five-year partnership will involve a series of research and innovation projects designed to improve the way offshore wind farms are operated and maintained, building on the region’s energy heritage, location and experience of servicing UK offshore wind farms.
Chris Hill, the ORE Catapult’s operational performance director, said: “Operations and maintenance activities make up almost a quarter of the lifetime costs of an offshore wind farm, and they provide a huge opportunity for UK companies to supply products and services.
The East Coast — and particularly the Humber Estuary — has extensive experience of servicing offshore wind farms, and that is invaluable as we look to build expertise and a local supply chain.”
The Centre of Excellence will be based at the University of Hull, with university researchers working alongside the Catapult’s innovation team.
The first task will be to engage with industry and the supply chain to develop a series of feasibility studies and define a road-map for O&M research and development.