Team Humber Marine Alliance could be 'key' partner in innovative offshore plans

The Humber area is to play a key role in developing the Southern North Sea’s potential as a ‘leader’ in offshore renewables.

Team Humber Marine Alliance, which represents more than 250 companies and organisations in the offshore supply chain, has joined a consortium of Southern North Sea regions with the aim of creating more business, investment and employment.

It will sign a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on October 23 in the Netherlands with Amsterdam Ymuiden Offshore Ports, East of England Energy Group and North Sea Energy Gateway Den Helder.

The cooperation will be branded under the name ‘Southern North Sea Energy Alliance (SNSEA)’.

Mark O’Reilly, Team Humber Marine Alliance’s chief executive, said: “The Southern North Sea is hugely significant in terms of existing and planned offshore wind farms.

“But we are also saying it could become the innovative ‘energy garden’ or ‘living field lab’ of Western Europe due to a high concentration of oil and gas assets which will be decommissioned or abandoned over the next decade.

“Over the last few months we have been pressing the point to companies based in the Humber that the opportunities in offshore renewables is much greater than the work we are seeing on our doorstep.

“By joining forces, the regions of the four partners in SNSEA have the opportunity to become part of the major energy offshore energy hub for Western Europe and grow as a world leader in offshore and marine energy innovation.”