As the development of large-scale floating offshore wind power in the Celtic Sea is rapidly approaching, Celtic Sea Power hosted the Celtic Sea Summit, an event bringing together some of the industry's key figures to deliberate on some of the most urgent challenges the sector is confronting.
Influential figures from within the region, industry and governmental agencies including Department of Business & Trade, the Regions Councils, Parliamentarians, National Grid, the Celtic Sea Ports, leading Project Developers, Supply Chain companies and other key stakeholders were all in attendance.
The conference was opened by Steve Jermy of Celtic Sea Power, followed by a presentation by Tim Pick on the implications of the Offshore Wind Champion's report for the Celtic Sea.
Next, Sian Lloyd-Rees, MD of Mainstream UK, provided insights on how to cultivate a sustainable regional industry to seize the FLOW opportunity. Dr. Michael Warner then elaborated on the policy interventions required to foster green growth in FLOW projects in the region.
After a break, Grace Millman from Regen offered an update on the grid status and actions needed to advance the initiative. Subsequently, Cat Mills shared key lessons from the Hinkley C project, which could inform the development of the Celtic Sea's offshore workforce.
Richard Ballantyne OBE from the British Ports Association, discussed the current state of ports and the necessary improvements and Michael Bullock from Renewable Risk Associates shed light on risk management strategies related to FLOW development. The event concluded with a Q&A forum on addressing the challenges of FLOW development in the Celtic Sea, before breaking for lunch.
In the second part of the summit, Tim Stiven gave an update from The Crown Estate regarding the Celtic Sea surveys, which are set to get underway this summer.