05 Jul 2010 01:07:10

Supply chain 'struggling with offshore wind market'

The supply chain in the UK is struggling to gain access to the offshore wind market, one expert has suggested.

John Sinclair, managing director at Subocean Group, said that there is the potential for the offshore wind sector to become as large as the oil and gas industry and suggested the renewables sector can learn a lot from the traditional energy industry.

However, the supply chain was said to need a "reality check" to gain access to the market.

"The reality is that very few [developers] are confident of taking this bold step - there are only about seven or eight companies in the UK that have really made major moves in the supply chain," Mr Sinclair said.

Figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that the amount of power generated from the offshore wind sector in 2009 was 31 per cent higher than in 2007.

Overall, electricity produced from wind turbines accounted for 37 per cent of all the renewable energy generated.