The aim of the initiative is to support SME’s throughout the two-year duration of the project which will see Xodus assisting the two existing offshore wind clusters in Scotland - Forth & Tay Offshore and DeepWind. Xodus will work closely with the clusters to identify opportunities, inform the community and enable SMEs entering offshore wind.
Scottish Enterprise’s vision is to create real, sustainable jobs in offshore wind by enabling powerful local business communities and playing on local strengths to create world-class supply chain solutions.
The work will assist in the development of the Scottish offshore wind clusters which serve as a forum for collaboration between developers, supply chain companies, the public sector and academia to drive competitiveness and improve productivity in Scottish offshore wind. Xodus, in the role of Offshore Wind Cluster Builder, will also work to consolidate the offshore wind landscape for SMEs, connecting and simplifying elements of the sector to enable greater engagement by Scottish companies.
Scott Hamilton, Renewables Division Manager at Xodus said: “The existing clusters are looking to build on the opportunity from the growing pipeline of Scottish, UK and global offshore wind projects and the need to grow local content in the sector. While the opportunity for companies active in Scotland is huge, the first barrier to entry is the sheer size and complexity and SMEs require assistance in where they can provide additional value. To successfully win the hearts and minds of the local business community, there needs to be a compelling business case, with a realistic and measurable ROI supporting their entry into offshore wind.
“We are committed to this development and have established a suite of services to help companies active in other relevant industries identify an opportunity in offshore wind, as well as alternative renewable energy sectors, and assist in building a strategic and coherent approach to this. The sector deal commitment of 60% local content by 2030 is an ambitious one, and it is important to prioritise those supply chain areas already available in the UK, while simultaneously targeting an expansion into areas identified as gaps.”
Xodus has worked with Scottish Enterprise on several projects to support and grow supply chain capability in Scotland. This work includes supply chain analysis for sensing and remote monitoring in marine renewable energy, and the collation of Scottish supply chain databases in the offshore wind and green hydrogen sectors.
The ‘cluster builder’ project also strengthens Xodus’ offering to the global offshore wind supply chain across the Atlantic, where the company is conducting a similar research project. The Boston team is assessing the local and regional supply chain around Massachusetts and has also recently won work to carry out a related assessment and gap analysis for Hampton Roads and the southern Virginia region.
Alexander Thillerup, Xodus’ US renewables vice president said: “We’re in the rare position of providing genuine international partnership opportunities for local companies through our Scottish and US clusters and we’re seeing a steep rise in this type of work as more and more regions explore the opportunities available through offshore wind. Our renewables team provides a 360-degree view on how to develop successful energy projects and can draw upon the skills from the integrated discipline divisions across our international offices.”
