Massachusetts Governor Visits UK Catapult

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult welcomed the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and offshore wind industry leaders from the United Kingdom and the United States to London today to discuss the current and future state of the offshore wind industry, and how both countries could work more closely together.

Governor Deval Patrick joined ORE Catapult Chief Executive Andrew Jamieson and representatives from RenewableUK, National Grid MA, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and UKTI looking at the emerging offshore wind industry in Massachusetts and the rest of the United States and how best practices can be adopted from the United Kingdom.

Andrew Jamieson said: “ORE Catapult was set up to help realise the enormous economic and social benefits of a vibrant offshore renewable energy sector. Collaboration and technology innovation are the critical enablers of those benefits.

“Governor Patrick’s visit is a fantastic opportunity to build new partnerships – sharing experiences and best practice, and strengthening the economic and environmental opportunities in both the UK and US.”

“The investments we are making in related infrastructure have positioned Massachusetts as a first-in-the-Nation hub for a new offshore wind industry that will bring us both good jobs and clean, Massachusetts-made energy,” said Governor Patrick.

“I am excited to explore how the United Kingdom and Massachusetts can work together in this growing industry.”

The discussion focused on how both countries can jointly tackle the challenges facing the offshore wind industry for their mutual benefit. It touched on the role of innovation, policy incentives in changing political climates, barriers to entering the market and technical challenges in establishing the industry, as well as project financing, cost reduction mechanisms, and the economic benefits of the offshore wind industry in both the UK and US.

Since taking office in 2007, Governor Patrick’s Administration has worked to position Massachusetts as a hub for the emerging US offshore wind industry. In June this year, the Governor announced that a large area off the coast of Massachusetts would be available for commercial wind energy leasing, the largest in US Federal waters and almost doubling the area available for commercial-scale wind energy projects in the US. The project, Cape Wind, is expected to pave the way for offshore wind activity in the US.

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