Will Merseyside grab its chance to bag a part of the fast-growing wind energy industry?, asks Peter Elson
LIVERPOOL is a city famous for the production of hot air – usually forming big clouds which, like morning dew, never amount to any substance.
But, luckily, Mother Nature also blows plenty of wind around the Mersey estuary and Irish Sea of a much more permanent and useful nature.
All very alluring when the buzzword in the energy world is “renewable”.
At a time when fossil fuels are becoming more inaccessible and nuclear power is still regarded with unease, trapped wind is the answer – not the problem.
However, Britain typically lost out 25 years ago at the birth of the European wind power energy industry.
After initial interest, Britain pulled out whereas Denmark, Germany, Spain and the US seized the chance to develop and manufacture wind turbine technology.
Yet, in 10 years’ time, wind and marine energy will supply more than 30% of the UK’s electricity, resulting in more than £60bn of investment and 70,000 new jobs.
Geographically, Liverpool sits in the centre of the west coast area, with wind farms already whirring away at Burbo Bank, North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats, in the Crown Estate Round 1 and 2 projects.
As part of Round 3, a huge Irish Sea wind farm, between Liverpool and the Isle of Man, has been licensed by The Crown Estate to Centrica British Gas.
Not visible from the shore, the turbines will be the equivalent of 80 storeys high.
Industry trade association RenewableUK attracted 1,700 delegates to its Offshore Wind Conference at Liverpool’s BT Convention Centre last week. Feedback was so good it plans to return next year.
The delegates consisted of representatives of European energy companies, manufacturers and financiers involved in renewable energy, with a spending power of around £100bn.
Its importance is shown by the support from energy producers Dong, EDF, E.ON and RWE; leading wind turbine manufacturers Siemens UK, Clipper, Vattenfall and Vestas (the world’s largest).
Maria McCaffery, RenewableUK chief executive, from Kirkby, hopes Merseyside will meet the wind power challenge.
She “applauded” The Mersey Partnership’s initiative to pull together the resources of Peel Ports, Cammell Laird and Stobart Group to showcase the existing local supply chain.
“We will deploy our influence to develop interest in the Port of Liverpool as principal hub for North West offshore wind,” said Ms McCaffery.
Concrete, steel, paints, expensive gearboxes, blades and transmission cabling are all needed to create wind farms.
The components also have to transported to a central assembly point and onto their destination.
“For every £1 spent on a turbine, £1 is spent on distribution,” said Mark Knowles, The Mersey Partnership low carbon economy manager.
“There is a huge new market for existing companies as well as new firms, for building and maintenance.”
Bibby Line Group, of Liverpool, is building Bibby Tethra, a survey ship for charter to Osiris Projects, Bromborough, to research potential wind farm sites.
Three of the UK’s main cable makers are on Merseyside, such as Tratos, Knowsley, and North West Control Cables, Ellesmere Port.
Other beneficiaries could include suppliers like diving and support company Hughes Sub Surface Engineering, West Derby, and motor maintainers Rewinds & J Windsor (RJW), Liverpool.
What of wind power’s cost – surely it compares unfavourably with fossil or nuclear fuels?
“Wind power is expensive compared to nuclear, but it won’t be in 20 years’ time,” said Christian Egal, EDF’s UK energy renewable chief executive officer.
“By that time, oil, gas and coal could be much more expensive and wind will become the cheapest energy of all.”
EDF, the UK’s leading energy company, has a target to develop one gigawatt by 2015 from its onshore and offshore wind farms, such as Teesside, off the east coast.
