The recent news that Vattenfall and Scottish Power have agreed to split development of the rest of the East Anglia Zone shows the confidence of these two major international developers in the East of England.
However Seimans announced last week that it was setting up a factory in Cuxhaven,Germany to produce parts for &MW wind turbines, creating up to 1,000 new jobs.
James Gray, director of the East of England Energy Zone, role is to promote the region’s energy credentials, underlined the fact that to date all 1,450 turbines and 4,350 blades in the UK’s 4.5GW of offshore wind had been made and shipped to the UK from Danish and German factories.
He felt that until there is an indication from government of a long-term policy which would encourage investors and attract more inward investment, supporting the sector’s supply chain wind farm manufactures will continue to choose to invest in other countries like Germany.
Waveney MP Peter Aldous agreed it was time for the government “to set out and articulate a wind energy vision beyond 2020”.
However, he said from his conversations with ministers, including secretary of state Amber Rudd, he was confident of the government’s continued commitment to wind energy.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said the government had committed tin July to laying out a framework beyond 2020 in the coming months.
Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said “The proposals currently being worked up for East Anglia ONE and Galloper wind farms do give a significant opportunity for this area. It is essential that our local businesses are able to take advantage of these new opportunities and that we train up the workforce that this industry will need for its future development.
Our young people need to be aware of what is available here is Norfolk and our campaign to bridge the gap between education and business will looking a new ways to achieve this.”
