Jan 21 - The Journal - Newcastle-upon-Tyne


Hundreds of jobs could be created by the region's world-leading subsea oil and gas companies as they turn their attention to helping develop huge offshore North Sea wind farms.

Today at Blyth's New and Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) dozens of the region's oil and gas companies will be given an insight into the opportunities available in renewable energy.

The skills they have developed in extracting oil and gas from underwater reserves are needed to maintain, erect and transport energy from marine wind turbines back to land.

And experts say hundreds of jobs could be created by the 50 North East firms - which employ 5,000 people - in the subsea oil sector.

George Rafferty, chief executive of NOF Energy, the body representing the region's energy companies, said: "There are opportunities for subsea companies to use their skills and technology in erecting these turbines and bringing the power created back to land.

"As an organisation we are focusing more and more attention on the renewable energy sector and there are some great opportunities out there for our regional world-leading companies with the potential to create employment opportunities."

Two North Sea wind farm sites have already been earmarked for development and an application for a third is to be submitted to the Crown Estate by 2009.

These will have hundreds of giant turbines, more than 300ft tall, and the race to develop them is being driven by EU directives that the UK has to generate 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Narec director of wind and marine Stephen Wilson said: "We are very pleased to be given this opportunity to show off our unique capability and share our understanding of the emerging market for offshore renewables with NOF Energy members.

"It is well documented that oil and gas is becoming more and more difficult to extract in the North Sea, and Narec's marine test centre provides the ideal controlled environment to test new equipment and try out new methods before they are deployed in the field.

"Furthermore, the opportunities for businesses looking to transfer their experiences of working in the harsh offshore oil and gas environment to enter the market for offshore wind, wave and tidal generation are massive.

NOF Energy business development director Joanne Leng said: "There is undoubtedly potential for these businesses to also benefit from the emerging renewable energy market as skills and technologies from the oil and gas sector are transferable."

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