The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE) has launched its fifth Fit for Offshore Renewables (F4OR) supply chain mentoring programme.
The programme is exclusively open to companies in the North East of Scotland, and this round will see up to ten established companies in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray selected to take part. The F4OR plan supports energy supply chain businesses to move into the offshore renewable energy sector, through mentoring and financial support lasting an average of 18 months.
Companies applying to join the programme undergo an evaluation process that examines their health and safety standards, environmental sustainability practices, project management capabilities and financial stability, as well as their applicability to the renewable energy market. According to the ORE, companies who have previously completed the programme report an average 28% increase in turnover.
The Energy Transition Zone (ETZ Ltd) has committed £150,000 in funding support to this fifth round of F4OR, having previously supported the second, third and fourth rounds of F4OR.
Davood Sabaei, F4OR programme manager at ORE Catapult, said: “We are pleased to again partner with ETZ Ltd for the F4OR programme which has supported 75 North East Scotland companies to date. Working together, we can progress our shared ambition to support the clean energy transition, boost the local energy supply chain, and accelerate the growth in offshore renewable energy.”
Freda Miller, supply chain programme manager at ETZ Ltd, added: “We look forward to continuing our partnership with ORE Catapult and are delighted to fund the next cohort of F4OR companies in the North East of Scotland. The programme plays an important part in the energy transition initiatives that ETZ Ltd deliver.”
Aleksandra Jurczak, head of strategic marketing at Maritime Developments, a firm previously supported by the programme, said: “I would encourage companies committed to a future in the renewables sector to consider applying for the F4OR programme – we’ve found the experience immensely rewarding.”
The move away from oil and gas is not just of concern for environmental reasons, but also economic ones. Statistics from thinktank the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), revealed that the UK’s failure to fully transition away from oil and gas cost the average consumer £1,750 in rising energy bills in 2022.
More recently, the Energy Crisis Commission (ECC) found that the UK needs to urgently hasten its transition to low-carbon energy in order to avoid the a future energy crisis, with the UK’s reliance on imported gas leaving the nation vulnerable to price spikes.
