Blue Gem Wind, the joint venture between TotalEnergies, one of the world’s largest energy companies, and Simply Blue Group has welcomed the announcement that the Celtic Sea Cluster is launching to support the emerging supply chain in the region.

Mike Scott, Project Managing Director at Blue Gem Wind, said, 

“As offshore wind is new to the Celtic Sea, we do not have the same experienced supply chain and port facilities that are present in other areas of the UK. That is one of the key reasons we chose to take a stepping stone approach to developing floating wind in the region, to give supply chain and ports the potential to develop whilst supporting Erebus and Valorous, before commercial scale projects in the 2030’s.  The Celtic Sea cluster can provide essential support to local supply chain wanting to diversify and become part of a new low carbon industry forecast to create more than 29,000 UK jobs and deliver £43.6bn of GVA by 2050.”

Announced this week, the Cluster is led by the Welsh Government and Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, supported by Marine Energy Wales, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and Celtic Sea Power. Cluster members will include developers and supply chain companies with an interest in floating wind in the Celtic Sea.

Cluster Chairman Dr Stephen Wyatt, from ORE Catapult said: 

“The Cluster will work hard for industry to remove barriers to deployment, and maximise the supply chain opportunity, particularly for local companies, and ultimately achieve the UK content ambitions of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal.”

The Celtic Sea is poised to play a key role in Net Zero and the Committee on Climate Change’s 100+GW offshore wind ambition.