Five Firms Selected For North of Tyne Offshore Wind Innovation Program

Five companies in the North of Tyne region of England have been selected to present their offshore wind solutions to the offshore energy industry players EDF Renewables and Equinor as part of the Technology, Innovation & Green Growth for Offshore Renewables (TIGGOR) program

According to Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, the successful companies are Transmission Dynamics, Kinewell Energy, SMD, Trident Dynamics, and Unasys.

They'll receive a share of £1.7m in match funding made available through the first round of the TIGGOR program’s technology demonstration strand, funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) as part of its wider Energy, Green Growth and Climate Change commitments. NTCA has partnered with the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, which is delivering the program on its behalf.

The companies applied for support to accelerate innovative technology concepts in key areas of operations and maintenance for offshore wind, including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), digital twins, cable arrays, and sensors. 

They will each now demonstrate their technologies to specialists at Equinor, joint venture partner and future operator of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, and EDF Renewables, which owns and operates the Blyth Offshore Demonstrator wind farm.

In turn, Equinor and EDF Renewables will provide technology assessment and advice on how these technologies could be applied to offshore wind. 

ORE Catapult will also provide direct support, including access to test and demonstration facilities at its National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth.

High Skilled Jobs and Good Wages

North of Tyne Mayor, Jamie Driscoll, said: “The offshore wind sector is a major strength in North of Tyne. It offers huge potential for good green jobs. We used to have thousands of jobs here in shipbuilding and coal mining.  This partnership with ORE Catapult will develop the engineering applications to bring orders here. That means high skilled jobs on good wages and more career opportunities for our kids. Congratulations to the successful companies - it's through partnership that we'll get to a net-zero economy.”

Andrew Saunders, Dogger Bank Operations & Maintenance Leader at Equinor, said: “As we build up our operations for Dogger Bank from the Port of Tyne, digitalization and innovation remain at the core of our operations strategy. We know the North East has a lot to offer and we’re delighted to collaborate with North of Tyne Combined Authority, ORE Catapult, and EDF Renewables to deliver this important program with innovative businesses in the region. Congratulations to the successful companies and we look forward to working with them as a technical advisor to the program!”

Michele Schiavone, Director of Offshore Wind at EDF Renewables UK, said: “We are excited to see these new innovative technologies and how they can be used in future offshore wind farms. Offshore wind is something we are already developing with our Neart na Gaoithe project in Scotland and Codling in Ireland. We are committed to using local content as we’ve already demonstrated and we are keen to have more offshore projects to help accelerate to net zero.”

The TIGGOR program is expected to launch a second Technology Demonstration Programme (TDP) funding call in September 2021.