UK and China to collaborate on offshore wind research centre

A new £2m joint UK-China offshore wind research and development centre has opened today (March 21) in Yantai City, China.

The TUS-ORE Catapult Research Centre (TORC) will foster new links into both UK and China to support the growth of their respective offshore wind industries.

The centre will develop collaborative research programmes, support market entry and incubation for UK businesses in China, provide commercial support for Chinese offshore wind developers and support the demonstration of new technologies on a 300MW windfarm in the Shandong Province.

China is predicted to become the world’s largest offshore wind market by 2030, with the Chinese government investing $100bn in wind power projects by 2020 and aiming to install 5GW of offshore wind in the South China Sea, with a further 10GW in planning.

By 2030, it is expected that offshore wind will generate one-third of the UK’s total electricity requirements.

ORE Catapult’s chief executive, Andrew Jamieson, said: ‘Our new Research Centre, in partnership with TUS, will support UK businesses as they take advantage of a new wave of opportunities to engage with one of the fastest-growing offshore wind markets in the world – and present a fantastic opportunity to develop a supply chain that can compete on a global scale.’

‘With more than a decade of experience and expertise in this sector, and global exports expected to be worth £2.6bn a year by 2030 for UK companies, now is the time for innovative companies to act and establish themselves at the heart of the Chinese market.’

11 UK offshore wind companies have been in China as part of an Innovate UK Global Business Innovation Programme delegation to explore opportunities in the country.

TORC is a joint venture company established by ORE Catapult Development Services Ltd (located in Northumberland, UK), TUS Wind Technology Co Ltd (located in Beijing, China) and TUS Mingshi Science and Innovation Co Ltd (based in Yantai, China).