Great British Energy has reached the next phase of its work to explore how a UK Major Component Replacement (MCR) Hub could support the growth of floating offshore wind in the UK.
The work forms part of Great British Energy's Deepwater Wind Commercialisation Programme, which is focused on supporting the growth of deepwater wind in the UK by helping to reduce barriers to deployment, strengthen UK supply chains and accelerate commercialisation. As part of this programme, GBE is exploring how shared major component replacement capability could help address a key operational challenge facing the floating offshore wind sector.
Floating offshore wind has the potential to play an important role in the UK's future clean energy mix. As the sector grows, ensuring operators have access to repeatable, accessible and effective operations and maintenance capability will be critical to supporting long-term performance and resilience. Replacing major turbine components can require specialist equipment and infrastructure, making it an important consideration for the future development of the sector.
Over the past year, GBE has undertaken strategic, economic and commercial analysis and engaged with developers, industry and government stakeholders to better understand the challenge and explore potential solutions. This work has helped shape an emerging concept for a UK-based MCR Hub capable of supporting tow-to-port maintenance and repair activities for floating offshore wind turbines.
As the programme moves forward, GBE is launching a market engagement exercise to gather evidence and insight from across industry and the public sector. GBE's role at this stage is to act as a convenor and facilitator, bringing together stakeholders to better understand potential delivery models, market requirements and barriers to delivery. The responses to this engagement exercise will be shared with floating offshore wind developers to help assess supplier appetite and explore potential delivery routes for an MCR Hub. The information gathered will also help inform the evidence base needed to assess whether there may be a case for public intervention and what role, if any, the public sector could play in supporting the development of future major component replacement capability in the UK.
Organisations interested in the future delivery, operation, financing or support of a potential UK Major Component Replacement Hub can access the Commercial Proposition and submit a response via the Expression of Interest Form.