Image; By Masha Basova/Shutterstock
The push to produce more electricity from wind continues with the launch of a new £100m fund aptly named “The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership“. The aim is to maximise opportunities for UK companies, however, although welcome it seems to be privately-raised funds which will be available (so looking for maximum returns) spread over 10 years (so pretty much a drop in the ocean), and aimed at supporting companies in the supply chain who will most likely look to source any manufactured parts from the cheapest location (probably Asia). It will be interesting to see if the fund can help save the Fife-based Bifab Engineering, who are in danger of closing thanks to a major Wind Farm Project deciding to source the manufactured units from a combination of Belgium, Spain & Indonesia.
It will be a pyrrhic victory for the environment if no meaningful benefit is also enjoyed by the British people.
