IEA’s Wind Executive Committee Visiting Narec

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) in Blyth is hosting one of the wind industry’s most influential global organisations this week (19-22 May), as the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Wind Executive Committee visits Newcastle.

The four day programme includes visits to Narec’s world-class renewable energy testing and demonstration facilities in Blyth, as well as some of the region’s most important and innovative renewable energy companies.

The Committee will visit Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD), who are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of remote intervention equipment with a proven track record in subsea engineering, and the Offshore Group Newcastle Ltd (OGN Group), working within the offshore oil and gas and renewable energy industries. Invest North East England and NewcastleGateshead Initiative are also supporting the visit.

On Thursday, 22 May the ORE Catapult is hosting an ‘Industry Encounter’ event, giving UK stakeholders, academia and supply chain companies the chance to meet the IEA Wind Executive Committee and discuss cooperative research tasks, helping to identify and influence areas for future UK involvement and international R&D cooperation in the wind industry.

The IEA Wind agreement is focused on advancing wind energy development, and 20 member countries whose aim is to foster research, development, and deployment of wind energy systems.

Ignacio Marti, Innovation and Technical Director for the ORE Catapult, said: “As the UK Contracting Party for the IEA Wind Executive Committee, we very much look forward to welcoming its members to the North East, showcasing the world-class technical facilities and expertise we have, not just here at Narec but throughout the North East, to drive forward the growth of the UK and international renewable energy industries.

“The ‘Industry Encounter’ event is particularly important as it gives UK renewable energy stakeholders direct access to global initiatives, developments and best practice in the industry.”

Stewart Watkins, Investment Gateway Manager for Invest North East England, said: “North East England is recognised by many of the major industry players as a key strategic location to service the renewable energy industry.  

“The visit of the IEA Wind Committee provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the uniqueness of the North East region, and all it has to offer in terms of geography, experience, infrastructure and technical capabilities. The North East has the potential to deliver comprehensive, all-encompassing supply chain solutions for the renewables industry.”