Awel y Môr Offshore Wind team holds first supply chain event

• More than 100 businesses meet to share insights on how offshore wind can further grow its positive impact on the region’s economy
• Project’s supply chain engagement portal also opens for registration
• Project is currently awaiting determination following the recent close of its Development Consent Order (DCO) examination

More than 100 businesses attended the first Supplier Engagement Day event for the Awel y Môr offshore wind farm project, which took place at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Thursday 20 April.

Awel y Môr, the development of which is being led by Wales’ largest energy generator RWE, is set to be the biggest investment in renewable energy in the country this decade.

Representatives from companies from across north Wales, as well as from north west England and further afield met to share insights that will help RWE’s development team maximise the benefit to the local economy.

The project also opened its supplier engagement platform for businesses to register with, as part of RWE’s wider Supplier Transparency & Engagement Programme (STEP).

Awel y Môr’s sister project, Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, invested £90m into Welsh businesses, created 700 jobs during construction. Gwynt y Môr also created 100 longer-term skilled positions largely filled by people from north Wales with many of these now working on operations and maintenance from the Port of Mostyn.

Tamsyn Rowe, project lead for Awel y Môr said: “The conversations the project team have had and will continue to have in the coming months will prove invaluable as we look to ensure north Wales and beyond reaps the benefits of this growing industry.

“As the largest renewables generator in Wales, with 300 staff across sites in Pembroke, Mostyn, Dolgarrog and Baglan, our track record of investing in renewables here is second to none.

“This supplier programme is set up to enable ongoing engagement across the length and breadth of the supply chain, from the top tier of companies to the smaller, more specialist businesses, as well as increasing RWE’s awareness of supplier capabilities and connecting companies with key project staff to provide guidance.

“I encourage any business considering investing in their capabilities for offshore wind to register via our website.”

RWE is developing Awel y Môr with project partners Stadtwerke München (30%) and Siemens Financial Services (10%). The company is #2 in the world for offshore wind and is driving the development of the largest offshore wind pipeline in the UK.

Internationally, RWE will expand its powerful, green generation capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2030, and is investing more than €50 billion gross for this purpose in this decade. It expects to invest up to £15 billion by 2030 in the UK.

Elsewhere in north Wales, RWE is developing onshore wind farms at Gaerwen and Alwen. The company also has ambitions for floating wind in the Celtic Sea.