Meetings to Show How Offshore Renewables Boom Promises Economic Boost for Yorkshire Coast

Businesses and education providers across the Yorkshire Coast are being invited to shape a new maritime and renewables cluster designed to maximise local supply chain opportunities from offshore wind farms with a series of public meetings taking place next week.

Local supply chains will see a major economic boost as a new maritime and offshore renewables network launches across the region.

The new North Yorkshire Maritime and Renewables Cluster aims to capture the vast opportunities developing in the offshore energy sector. Businesses, education providers, and volunteers are being urged to join the network and help form a strategic board ahead of its anticipated launch on October 1st.

Project lead Richard Askam said:

"It's not just renewables. It really encompasses the whole of the maritime industry because those two can't exist without each other as, as a lot of it is offshore.

The whole county and businesses and education across the county has a part to play in hopefully what will be the next growth opportunity for the North Yorkshire area.

We've been working on this for quite a long time, but over the last three months, we've been exhaustively having one to one meetings with businesses and education establishments across the county.

We've got some events that are next week, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as well online to explain more about what, what's going to be happening, and then with an expected day one of October the 1st."

Coastal towns will experience direct benefits due to their strategic geographical positions.

Richard Askam explained the specific advantages for local harbours:

"Whitby and Scarborough in particular, have have a a nailed on opportunity because they're a a safe harbour on the East Coast, bang opposite where the wind farm is going to be.

Crew transfer vessels that operate a little bit like Uber from shore to offshore, need to be moved around. There's a number of companies now looking at basing themselves in Scarborough and Whitby to be able to do that successfully. It's the nearest jumping on point to be able to service the wind farms with crew.

That's one part of it, but then really that extends all the way back almost to, where do these guys stay, where do these guys eat, the the supply chain is all the way back through the county.

In terms of the opportunities, I think they will be quite widespread, but like any opportunity you've got to knock over the first domino first."

Organisers are currently seeking input from local experts to target efforts effectively and are hosting multiple sessions next week to gather views from across the area.

The series of launch events will take place across the county 

• Monday 14 September — Whitby, 11:00am / Scarborough, 3:00pm
• Tuesday 15 September — Filey, 11:00am / Northallerton, 3:00pm
• Wednesday 16 September — Online Webinar, 11:00am

The events are open to businesses and organisations connected to the maritime and renewable energy supply chain, and to secondary, further and higher education institutions across North Yorkshire.

Detailing the upcoming meetings, Richard Askam added:

"We're going to be hosting four in-person events in Whitby, in Scarborough, in Filey and in Northallerton, and then one online event for those people that couldn't make the in-person events, and we'll be recording that as well so we can share that information out widely beyond that date.

We'll be hearing from a couple of people locally that are involved in the maritime sector and some experience also of the Humber Marine and Renewables cluster, which is a lot older than this one the experience that's brought not only to the area but also to the supply chain across the sector."

North Yorkshire Maritime & Renewables (NYM&R) is being formed to create a single, unified voice for an industry that touches every corner of North Yorkshire. From the offshore wind assets developing in the North Sea off the Yorkshire Coast to the engineering firms, logistics companies, training providers, technology businesses and professional services organisations supporting them from inland towns and cities across the county, NYM&R will exist to connect the full breadth of the supply chain.

The cluster will recognise that the maritime and renewables economy is not confined to the coastline. Manufacturers in Ripon, engineers in Harrogate, training providers in Northallerton and technology companies across the county all have a role to play in the clean energy future being built off North Yorkshire's shores. NYM&R will be the mechanism that brings them together with the coastal communities of Whitby, Scarborough and Filey at its heart, and the whole county as its catchment.

NYM&R will connect port operators, boat operators, offshore wind developers, supply chain businesses, professional services firms, skills providers and education institutions across North Yorkshire, building the collaborative infrastructure needed to attract investment, influence policy, and develop the skilled workforce that the clean energy economy will require in the years ahead.

The cluster's founding mission will be to become an internationally credible centre for maritime and renewables activity in the north of England, providing a single point of connection for every business and organisation in the county operating in or adjacent to these sectors.

Tony Watson, Head of Economy and Tourism at North Yorkshire Council said:

"North Yorkshire Council welcomes the development of the North Yorkshire Maritime and Renewables Cluster as a positive step in strengthening collaboration across this important sector.

The Council has supported the establishment of the cluster through funding, recognising the significant opportunities it offers for economic growth, skills development and innovation. The opportunity extends well beyond the coast, with businesses and education providers across the county able to contribute to, and benefit from, the growth of the clean energy economy.

By bringing together industry, skills and investment, the cluster has the potential to support economic growth, create new opportunities for local businesses and help ensure North Yorkshire is well positioned within the wider maritime and renewables sector.” 

Industry contacts and education providers can book tickets online for the following in-person launch events:

• Whitby Library will host a session on Monday, September 14th at 11am, with tickets available at https://go.allevents.in/bd553.
• Scarborough UTC will follow on Monday, September 14th at 3pm, with bookings at https://go.allevents.in/bd553.
• The Evron Centre in Filey will hold a meeting on Tuesday, September 15th at 11am, bookable via https://all.events/go/80003537894352.
• The Evolution Business Centre in Northallerton will host an event on Tuesday, September 15th at 3pm, available at https://go.allevents.in/bd553.
• An online meeting will also take place on Wednesday, September 16th at 11am. Anyone preferring to attend virtually can request a meeting link by emailing office@nymandr.co.uk.