“The prize is huge if we can get this right.” In his introductory speech, Dr Andrew Jenkins, CEO and founder of Kinewell set the tone for a fascinating event dedicated to the future of floating offshore wind.
On 19 February, the Energy Central Learning Hub in Blyth hosted the Kinewell Open Innovation Day — a gathering built around collaboration, connection and problem‑solving in floating offshore wind.
Funded by the TIGGOR (Technology, Innovation & Green Growth for Offshore Renewable) programme and supported by Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, the event brought together developers, OEMs, innovators, design consultancies and funders to share advice and insights on one of the most transformative opportunities in renewable energy.
And as Dr Jenkins (pictured below) pointed out, the prize is indeed huge, when it comes to maximising on the floating offshore wind opportunity.
With 80 per cent of the world’s offshore wind resource potential sitting in waters deeper than 60 metres, floating wind represents a global shift. The Floating Wind Taskforce forecasts that by 2050, the sector could become an £11 trillion global market, worth £47 billion to the UK and supporting 97,000 jobs.
But in order for this opportunity to be realised, scale-up challenges need to be addressed, LCOE brought down and innovation embraced. Ultimately, floating wind needs to be economically viable. That mission shaped every conversation throughout the day.
Speakers covered everything from software and subsea cable innovation to moorings, anchors and port capabilities. Kinewell showcased how it is using AI and advanced mathematics to optimise offshore wind design, while Alex Argyros, Floating Wind and Innovation Lead at JERA Nex bp, explored how oil and gas expertise is influencing floating wind technology.
There were valuable learnings from Equinor, too. Tom Nightingale, Local Supply Chain Manager (UK) and Deputy Chair of Energi Coast, drew on the company’s experience of developing the Hywind Scotland project – the world’s first commercial floating offshore wind farm. Equinor is now progressing a floating offshore wind development area in the Celtic Sea, with the company “open to all ideas” on platform solutions.
The role of North East England and the Energi Coast cluster in driving offshore wind was also celebrated.
And if you needed an obvious example of how far North East England has come in the energy transition journey, Rachel Ryder of Business Northumberland shared her story of seeing the Blyth Power Station chimneys come down from her bedroom window in the early noughties, to two decades later watching JDR Cable Systems’ 69,000 sqm subsea cable manufacturing facility taking shape at the very same site. That JDR Cable Systems facility in Cambois will enable the production of longer-length cables to support next-generation offshore wind turbines.
Want to know more about Kinewell? Read our interview with Dr Andrew Jenkins here.