This week’s UK CfD announcement is welcome news for a UK supply chain business with operations in Lowestoft, Aberdeen and Newcastle.
North Star currently employs 1,300 crew and shore-based personnel in the UK to support its North Sea operations. It also invests GBP 1 million annually in its industry leading cadet training programme which has been running for 26 years, helping hundreds of seafarers to gain necessary skills and qualifications to enter into the UK industry.
The CfD announcement – greater than all three previous rounds combined – sees 93 projects winning contracts through the competitive auction process across England, Scotland and Wales. Among the wins, and a first in this round, are developing technologies such as tidal stream and floating offshore wind projects. Tidal stream returned a capacity of 41 MW and floating offshore wind returned 32 MW.
North Star CEO Matthew Gordon says, “As the UK’s largest offshore infrastructure support vessel operator and a local employer in Lowestoft, today’s CfD announcement is a great endorsement for the future of offshore wind in this country and for the opportunities it presents for businesses like ours and the next generation of seafarers.”
“We currently have four state-of-the-art hybrid powered vessels being built to support operations and maintenance work in the region on long-term charter, and the skills, experience and capacity to scale up as further contracts are secured,” Gordon adds.
North Star is currently building its first offshore wind fleet which has been chartered for at least the next decade in the North Sea. This includes four state of the art service operation vessels (SOVs) and associated daughter craft. The SOVs will be delivered to Lowestoft from early next year.
Gordon continues, “The investment in our new renewables ship fleet has already created 170 job openings in the UK as well as having a similar sustainable impact on the UK technology companies with which we partner. With our 135-year history, it’s in our fabric to harness the innovation of local businesses and invest in local talent at every opportunity to support the growth of the region and sector.”
