£2.8m North East offshore industry booster launches

A £2.8m public-private initiative to support North East SMEs to move into the offshore wind and marine renewable energy supply chain has launched.

The Renewable Energy Technology Accelerator (RETA) project is being delivered by NAREC and is expected to provide over 70 regional SMEs with technical and market advisory services over its lifetime.

£1.39m of funding for the project has come from the ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-13 and the rest has been matched by Narec and five industry partners.

Tony Ikwue, Innovation and Corporate Development director at Narec, said: “Narec has created this programme to build on the strengths of local engineering companies. Initial interest from industry has been extremely high and the projects selected will see new products being developed in the North East.

“There will also be knock on benefits by way of supply contracts and knowledge transfer opportunities for SMEs looking to enter these promising but still relatively immature industries.”

Cllr Neil Foster, deputy chair of the North East England Local Management Committee (LMC), which engages key partners in the overseeing of the strategic delivery of the ERDF Programme in the North East, added: “ERDF investment will ensure businesses receive excellent support to develop innovative new products; helping SMEs to enter the market, or enhance their position within the industry.

“Businesses will have access to Narec’s world class research facilities and expertise to develop their ideas and immerse themselves in the emerging supply chain. This will have a positive impact on the North East economy.”

The programme is due to be completed by the end of March 2015 and so far two projects are underway.

Stocksfield-based IHC Engineering Business will work on trenching technology while Spanish firm Tecnalia will work alongside Hexham-based PDL Solutions and Hartlepool-based JDR Cable Systems on the design and development of smart cabling.

James Young, engineering director at JDR, added: “We are committed to enabling the next generation of offshore power projects to deliver cost-effective renewable energy, using the latest developments in cable technology and manufacture. The collaborative approach being taken by NAREC and the support provided by the ERDF, will enable us to accelerate developments in smart cable technology that will benefit the industry and the region.”

Paul Charlton, CEO, PDL Solutions, said: “This project is an excellent opportunity to showcase the specialist skills and expertise located here in North East England; it highlights the vital contribution the region is playing in the commercialisation and reliability of offshore renewable energy technologies. This is a great opportunity for PDL and the wider supply chain; we are really pleased to be part of this collaborative industrial research project.”