“I think we were all excited to see how the offshore wind industry plays an important role in Newcastle and its surroundings. Two ports and hundreds of industry players create huge ripple effects for the region,” says Arne Thomassen, Mayor of Agder County.
“Agder will be part of this industry. We will seize the opportunity. Ports in the west of our county are already regulated for this purpose. Now, we need financing support schemes for ports and a pipeline for offshore wind projects to encourage investments,” says Thomassen.
He was part of a delegation which comprised close to 20 politicians, officials and industry people from Agder. They travelled to Newcastle to attend the third edition of Energetic Future – a conference hosted by the Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce, the Norwegian Embassy, Norwegian Energy Partners, and Innovation Norway.
Sponsored by a DNB, Equinor, Kongsberg and others, Energetic Future drew close to 200 people – one third from Norway and two-thirds from Britain.
In addition to Thomassen, politicians from Agder included Mathias Bernander (Mayor of Kristiansand), Jan Øyvind Åvik (Deputy Mayor of Lindesnes), Kenneth Mørk (leader of the opposition in Kristiansand), and Gro Bråten (leader of the opposition in Agder County).
PORTS FOR OFFSHORE WIND
They got to visit the Port of Tyne in Newcastle and the Port of Blyth about 30 minutes north-east of the city. Both ports are deeply invested in offshore wind and have succeeded in attracting business from offshore wind developers and operators.
In the Port of Tyne, Equinor has established its operations center for Dogger Bank, a wind farm that is both in operation and under further construction. When completed in 2027, Dogger Bank will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm producing enough electricity to meet the demand of five million UK households!
The Port of Blyth is home to the world’s most comprehensive test facility for the wind industry. Here they test powertrains, electrical infrastructure, and turbine blades that are more than 100 meters long! By applying forces that mimic the natural forces in an offshore environment, the test facility can accelerate aging. During a nine months long test program, the turbine blades age 25 to 30 years while researchers determine if the blades retain their ability to resist the loads they will be subject to.
“It is fair to say that the port has taken the opportunity to grow as a result of the offshore wind industry,” said a spokesperson for Port of Blyth – adding that the port has had “four consecutive record years of operation”.
GREAT RIPPLE EFFECTS
“The offshore wind industry creates great ripple effects in and around Newcastle. I have become more enthusiastic on behalf of the industry during the last two days. As a region, Agder has what it takes to succeed in offshore wind,” says Gro Bråten, Leader of the Opposition at Agder County.
Her Labour Party colleague Kenneth Mørk, who is the leader of the opposition in Kristiansand, says he has gained more insights into a highly complex and important development of new green industry.
“It has become clearer to me that we should build strategic partnerships and become better at talking well about an industry that will be a big part of our future working life and value creation. For offshore wind, the UK displays a strong will, a powerful force in their collaboration, and a great ability to execute. This results in huge ripple effects for the local community, which is very inspirational,” says Mørk.
