20brochure

WIND ENERGYIN ENGLAND’SNORTHWEST

ENGLAND’SNORTHWEST:SEIZINGTHEOPPORTUNITIESINOFFSHOREWINDENERGY

Over 150 supply chaincompanies

650 miles of shallow coastline

WIND POWER IN THE NORTHWEST

4 major ports 3 internationalairports

5GW potential in Irish Sea zone

Robin Rigg wind farm

The UK is regarded as one of the top five markets in the worldfor offshore wind energy, due to its unrivalled combinationof bountiful wind resource, extensive offshore territory andtop-level commitment to renewable energy sources.

Analysis suggests that the UK could attract 45% of theglobal offshore wind market by 2020, delivering £65 billion ofnet economic value and 225,000 jobs by 2050. The countryis projected to produce 32% of its electricity from renewablesources by 2020 – with wind energy providing the lion ’s share.

Wind energy is the most technically and economicallydeveloped renewable technology. It is therefore the sourcewhich can best deliver on the scale required to ensure theUK meets its international renewable commitments ofsourcing15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.The latest Round Three wind farm licences, to total 33GW by2020, will require around 7,000 additional turbines, generatingenough power for up to 25 million homes.

MANCHESTER

SOLWAY

FIR

TH

MORECAM

BE B

AY

BARROW

Robin Rigg

Ormonde

Walney

West DuddonBarrow

Burbo BankGwynt y MôrNorth Hoyle

Rhyl Flats

WORKINGTON

LIVERPOOL

BIRKENHEAD

CUMBRIA

LANCASHIRE

CHESHIRE

PortOffshore Wind Farm

CityAirport

BLACKPOOL

England’s Northwest is at the very heart of developmentsin the wind energy sector. This region is long-recognised asthe heart of the UK’s energy industry – from nuclear torenewables – and is regarded as one of the UK’s mostpromising regions for offshore wind power. The huge IrishSea zone, off the Northwest’s coast, has the potential toproduce up to 5GW – the second highest energy output of all Round Three wind farm zones.

There are excellent port facilities at Barrow, Liverpool,Birkenhead and Workington, already geared up to servingthe needs of the offshore energy industry.

Combined with easy access to key strategic sites in theIrish Sea, excellent motorway links to all corners of thecountry, and three international airports at Manchester,Liverpool and Blackpool, it is not hard to see why the windpower sector in England’s Northwest is brimming withopportunities.

Powerful potentialAs theUKembraces theopportunitiesofwindpower,England’s Northwest has the potential to play a vitalrole in the country’s future energy mix

‘‘THE NORTHWESTPROVIDES AN IDEALFOUNDATION FORCAPITALISING ON THEHUGE OPPORTUNITIESIN WIND ENERGY.’’John Childs, senior vice president sales and marketing, Vestas Northern Europe

Wildcat Marine’s catamaran services Barrow wind farm.Photo courtesy of Furness Enterprise.

Map source: Ordnance Survey Crown Copyright 2009All Rights Reserved GD021102

The Northwest has a long 650-mile coastline on the Irish Sea,identified by the Government as one of the UK’s key strategicareas for wind energy investment.

Its shallow sloping shores with depths of between fiveand 30 metres means that the construction, erection andservicing of wind farms is easier and more cost effective thanin many other regions, while its prevailing westerly wind can ensure consistent wind energy generation.

The region is already one of the most active in offshorewind development, with high levels of operational capacityand among the highest activity levels in projects that areoperational, under construction or have planning approval.

Indeed, it was one of the first regions in the world toembrace the potential of offshore wind power, with thecommissioning of the North Hoyle wind farm in 2003. Thereare now a total of nine offshore wind farms in the Northwesteither in operation, under construction or approved. Togetherthese comprise 652 wind turbines with an installed capacityof 2.36GW.

In terms of Round Three licences, the vast Irish Sea zonehas the potential to produce up to 5GW – the second highestestimated output of any of the nine Round Three zones.

World class wind energy companies such as Vestas andSiemens already have a significant presence. Vestas hasbeen operating in the UK since 2001and it established a sales,project and service office specifically for the market inWarrington, Cheshire, in 2004.

“The key factors for locating our UK head office inWarrington were the need for a strong supply chain, good

Investment opportunitiesThe region has long been at the forefront of windenergy, attracting firms like Siemens and Vestas

transport connections, and the ability to attract suitablyskilled employees for our industry. The Northwest more thandelivers on all of these points,” said John Childs, senior vicepresident for sales and marketing at Vestas Northern Europe.

Another global player, Siemens, has a major presence in Manchester. Siemens Energy is the UK market leader indesigning and building grid connections for offshore windfarms. Its Manchester site is a global centre of competence inrenewable connections, working on projects all over the UKand right across Northern Europe, from the Netherlands toFinland. It was the Manchester-based renewable connectionsteam that engineered the platform substation for GreaterGabbard, one of the largest wind farms in the world.

In the Northwest, Siemens is working with Dong Energyon its Walney wind farm, designing the harmonic filterequipment to enable the farm to meet the requirements ofthe UK grid. The company also supplied the wind turbines atBurbo Bank wind farm, off the Liverpool coast, which ismaintained and serviced from a depot at West BrocklebankDock in the Port of Liverpool.

In addition, Siemens is developing a local capability in highvoltageDC connections to meet the future needs of therenewable energy sector, which will be based out ofManchester.

“We expect the size of our market to quadruple in the nextfive years. As a consequence, we will need to significantlyexpand our workforce in the UK, and our solid, successfulbase inManchester allows us to do that,” saidMatthewKnight,business development manager at Siemens Energy.

THE VAST IRISH SEAZONE HAS THE POTENTIALTO PRODUCE UP TO 5GW.

SIEMENS’ MANCHESTER OFFICE IS AGLOBAL CENTRE OF COMPETENCE INRENEWABLE CONNECTIONS.

Greater Gabbard substation: designed by Siemens in Manchester. Reproduced with permission of Siemens plc.

BLACKPOOL

MANCHESTER

SOLWAY

FIR

TH

MORECAM

BE B

AY

LIVERPOOLWARRINGTON

CUMBRIA

LANCASHIRE

CHESHIRE

P

BIRKENHEAD

BARROW

Robin Rigg

Ormonde

Walney

West DuddonBarrow

Gwynt y MôrNorth Hoyle

Rhyl Flats

WORKINGTON

Burbo Bank

England’s Northwest has some of the UK’s strongest portfacilities, led by the ports of Barrow, Liverpool, Birkenheadand Workington. They are well equipped in terms of capacity,sites and skilled labour, and highly experienced in servicingthe needs of the offshore energy industry.

In addition, all four are located in UK assisted areas, whichmeans a higher level of government support and fundingmay be available for businesses investing in the region.

The Port of Barrow is an ideal location for servicing windfarms in the Irish Sea. Lying100miles northwest of ManchesterAirport, it is the gateway to the UK’s Energy Coast, a £2 billionpackage of regeneration projects that will establish WestCumbria as a major hub for low carbon and renewableenergy generation.

The port is in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week,serving shipping routes to Ireland, mainland Europe, thenorth Atlantic and further afield. It can handle ships up to 32 metres beam and 230 metres length. Heavy lifting facilitiesinclude a120-tonne quayside crane, while it also boasts tworoll-on, roll-off berths with 750-tonne loading facilities.

Barrow has been servicing offshore energy, oil and gasprojects since1975 and has a range of first-class facilitiesand a large pool of project management, engineering andcommissioning skills. It currently serves the wind farms of

Excellent port facilities: BarrowBarrow is one of four Northwest ports geared up forthe needs of the offshore energy industry

Barrow, Ormonde, Walney and West Duddon, with operatorsincluding Centrica Energy, Dong, Vestas Celtic, EclipseEnergy, Vattenfall and Scottish Power, together with a raft ofdynamic supply chain companies. The port is within fiveminutes of Walney airport, which has regular helicopterservice flights servicing offshore gas fields.

Several potential manufacturing and assembly sites exist,with easy access to excellent facilities, equipment and skills.

The port has long played an important part in the UK’soffshore wind industry. It is currently the long-term servicebase for the 90MW Barrow wind farm. High-speed transportvessels operated by Wildcat Marine ferry maintenancepersonnel between the port and the wind farm, whichconsists of 30 turbines in four rows, two with seven turbinesand two with eight. The wind farm, a joint initiative betweenCentrica and Dong, was one of the UK’s first offshoresubstations. Facilities at Barrow’s Ramsden Dock were alsoused during the offshore substation’s operations and fittingout stage.

As well as supporting the Barrow wind farm, the port iswell placed to service future offshore developments as it isalready used to assemble and integrate offshore transformerplatforms.

NOWHERE IN THE UK IS THERE A MORESTRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT AREA THAN THENORTHWEST COAST OF ENGLAND, AND INPARTICULAR FOR ENERGY GENERATION, THE FURNESS PENINSULAAND ITSCOASTLINEWEST OF BARROW.’’Kevin Cochrane, Centrica energy asset manager, Morecambe Bay

‘‘

Up to 20 acres(80,000m2)

of development land

Two quays of 250m and 200m

Handles ships up 230m length x 32m beam

120-tonne quayside crane for heavy lifting

Two roll-on, roll-off berths with 750-tonneloading facilities

Photo courtesy of Furness Enterprise.

The Port of Liverpool is the west coast’s major internationaldeepwater port and one of the largest in the UK.

Access to the port is available 24 hours a day, seven daysa week, and each year it handles 32 million tonnes of freightand 700,000 containers, on1,200 acres of operational dockson both banks of the River Mersey. The port dominates theUK’s container trade with North America and serves morethan100 non-EU destinations, including China, India,Africa, Australia, the Middle East and South America.

Liverpool is unique in offering both roll-on, roll-off andcontainer lift-on lift-off services on the Irish Sea. The widestdock gate is 42.67 metres wide and can accommodate thelargest installation vessels. Port facilities include a range oflarge development areas directly alongside deepwaterdocks and berths, and a sea-going 250-tonne floating crane.

The port’s Royal Seaforth Container Terminal has beenthe subject of £50 million worth of investment since 2000,

Port of LiverpoolOneof theUK’s largest deepwater ports, Liverpool is amajor location for container tradewithNorthAmerica

Extensive wind powerexperience

250-tonne sea-going, floating crane for heavy lifting

More than 4 million sq ft oflogistics

accommodation

One of the UK’s largest deepwater ports

including the purchase of six ship-to-shore gantry cranes.Liverpool also operates a pusher tug barge service that linksthe Royal Seaforth Container Terminal with the inland containerterminal at Irlam on the Manchester Ship Canal, which offersan alternative to moving goods on the UK’s roads.

The port has extensive experience in servicing andsupporting offshore industries. It possesses an excellentlocal skills base that has grown up around companies suchas the nearby Cammell Laird shipyard.

Liverpool is also home to the UK’s largest and mostsuccessful free zone, Liverpool Freeport. This comprisesmore than 3.6 million square feet of warehousing. A secondphase is in development that will add another 400,000 squarefeet, bringing the port’s total logistics accommodation tomore than four million square feet.

Widest dock gate of 42.67m

The Port of Birkenhead boasts one of the busiest shipyardsin the UK, Cammell Laird Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders.Theshipyard, originally established in1829, is a centre of excellencefor shipbuilding, repair and conversion.

It specialises in commercial marine repair, conversion,heavy fabrication/engineering and military refit. It operatesfour large dry docks that measure up to 289 metres x 42.7metres x10 metres.

The wider port is home to14,000 square metres of work -shops, cargo space and office infrastructure, which supportthese four docks.

To complement these facilities, Birkenhead has a15,000square metre main construction hall that includes 250-tonnecapacity overhead cranes with 36 metre hook height. Itincludes two150-metre bays, with one door measuring

Port of BirkenheadCapitalising on over180 years’experience in marineengineering, Birkenhead has a heritage in shipbuilding

THE NORTHWEST, WITH ITS EXCELLENTCAPABILITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE ANDFACILITIES – ESPECIALLY THE PORTNETWORKS –WILL WITHOUT DOUBT PLAYAN INTEGRAL ROLE IN HELPING TO MEET THE UK’S RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS.’’Duncan Ayling, head of offshore,British Wind Energy Association

‘‘

One of the busiest shipyards in the UK

Four large dry docks

250-tonne overhead crane with 36m hook height

15,000m2construction

hall

14,000m2of workshops, storage areas and officeinfrastructure

43 metres x 26.5 metres and the other 34 metres x 26.5metres. The constructionhall provides a coveredenvironmentthat enables large steelwork units to be constructed indoors,without being exposed to the weather and environment.

The sizeable hall is an iconic element of the port and oneof its most distinctive features. It is located next to the port’sship repair facilities, which offer direct river access via aconventional slipway launch.Vehicular access to the dry-docksfor large modules is also available.

Birkenhead port has more than180 years’ experienceservicing the marine industry. It has a strong, flexible andmotivated labour force that regularly exceeds more than 450highly-skilled workers.This combination of facilities andexperience makes Birkenhead an ideal port to support thewind sector.

12 Quays, Port of Birkenhead.

The strength of the Port of Workington, in Cumbria, is itsflexibility as a multi-modal hub. The port benefits from directaccess to sea, rail and road 24 hours a day, seven days aweek. It is directly connected to the M6 motorway and themain business and industrial centres in Scotland and Englandvia the A66 trunk road. The port also operates a rail freightterminal for the English, Welsh and Scottish Railway.

There is a good range of modern cargo handling facilitiesand equipment, supported by operational land with coveredand open storage for most major cargoes, including liquidbulks, dry bulks, steel cargo, forest products, agriculturalcargo and container freight.

Workington currently handles over 300 ship movementsannually, and there is room for expansion. Renewable energyis a key part of the port’s growth strategy, with a focus onoffshorewindpower.Dock facilities includeup to5.3hectaresof

Port of WorkingtonA fast-growing and flexible multi-modal hub,Workington is well connected north and south

Rail freight terminal

772.7m of quay frontage with roll-on, roll-off facilities

Up to 5.3 hectares of quaysidedevelopment

land

Two 30-tonne Nelcon cranes

Maintenance port for Robin Rigg wind farm

quayside development land, two 30-tonne Nelcon cranes and772.7metres of quay frontage, plus roll-on, roll-off facilities.

The port’s renewable expertise is demonstrated by itssupport to the developer of the 60-turbine Robin Rigg windfarm, E.On Renewables, and its tier one contractors.The portis supporting the Robin Rigg project with heavy lifts, roll-on,roll-off, provision of plant and labour, quayside laydown andwarehouse storage. Office accommodation andmarine andboat services will also be provided by the port to support theproject. A15-metre catamaran, The Solway Spirit, operatedby local marine services company SolwayMaritime, operatesto help in the support and maintenance of the wind farm.E.On has also built a permanent operations andmaintenancecentre at the port to service the wind farm throughout its 20-year useful life.This will be supported by a strategic storefor spares.

WE’RE DELIGHTED THAT ALMOST ALLOF THE TEAM RESPONSIBLE FOR THEDAY-TO-DAY RUNNING OF THE ROBINRIGG WIND FARM ARE LOCALLYRECRUITED FROM ACROSS CUMBRIA.’’Sally Shenton, E.On Robin Rigg site manager

‘‘

Robin Rigg substation: serviced from Workington, assembled and commissioned at Barrow.

E.On’s operations centre at Workington.

The Northwest’s solid base of wind energy-related businessesranges frommajor global players such as Siemens, Vestas,Nordex and ABB, to specialist manufacturers and nicheservice providers. These include companies specialising incomponents for the offshore environment and companiesexperienced in operating offshore. Leading names includeAgrilek, RJW Engineering and Bay Towage.

The Northwest has long been the centre of the UK’smanufacturing and engineering sectors. It is also aninternationally significant hub for the energy industry,including oil, gas and nuclear, as well as renewables. Indeed,many of the skills and engineering capabilities the region hasdeveloped to service the traditional energy industries aredirectly transferable to wind energy.

This includes the skills to make largemonopile structures,steel pressure vessels, complex pipe fabrications, cableinstallation and systems integration.

Moreover, in areas like Barrow,with long standing expertisein the UK’s marine engineering and energy industries, the

Supply chain strengthsMore than 150 companies in the Northwest can supplyparts, components and services to the industry

region has some of the UK’s best electronics, systemsintegration capabilities and power supply and control systemmanufacturing facilities in the UK and Europe.

Significant opportunities exist to become part of theregion’s wind energy supply chain, either supplying directlyto wind turbine manufacturers, supplying tier1or tier 2suppliers, or supplying wind farm developers.

Envirolink Northwest, the region’s sector developmentorganisation for environmental technologies, has workedclosely with the wind energy sector to develop strong linksbetween international project developers and the regionalsupplier base. The organisation can provide practical,knowledgeable support to help potential inward investorsdevelop commercial relationships with regional and localwind energy companies.

Further information on the region’s supply capabilitiesand company contact details can be found in EnglandNorthwest’s Wind Supply Chain directory:www.envirolinknorthwest.co.uk

Welding, electrical and other skilled trades

Design of large power plant

and marine structures

Design andmanufacturing of marine power

substations

Project management for offshore energy projects

NORTHWEST SKILLS ANDEXPERTISE

Logistics support andmaintenance of offshore energy

installations

RJW ENGINEERINGTHE OFFSHORE AND ONSHOREWIND ENERGY SECTOR ISDYNAMIC AND FAST GROWING,NOWHERE MORE SO THAN IN THENORTHWEST. DUE TO OUR CENTRALLOCATION IN LIVERPOOL, ANDWITH EASY ACCESS TO IRELAND,RJW HAS BECOME ONE OF THELEADING REPAIRERS OF WINDTURBINE GENERATORS IN THE UKAND IRELAND.”Gianfranco Colangeli, sales manager, RJW Engineering

“Liverpool-based Rewinds and J. Windsor (RJW Engineering) isone of the wind energyindustry’s leading maintenanceand repair specialists. In additionto repairing generators, RJWoffers on-site services such asin-situ generator testing,inspection and repair, the repairof electronic components andalso specific parts of the windturbine control systems.

As the cradle of the industrial revolution and the mainstayof the UK’s energy and engineering sectors, the region has a proud international heritage and established skills base indeveloping, manufacturing and assembling large powersystems and components.

Moreover, the strong historic bias towards engineeringand manufacturing means there is a long and strong traditionof apprenticeships, with a host of top quality furthereducational colleges training youngerworkers and apprenticesfor the advanced engineering and energy sectors.

A wealth of research and development expertise can befound in the Northwest, with the University of Manchester(top 10 in Europe, top 30 in the world), University of Liverpool,University of Salford, Lancaster University, Liverpool JohnMooresUniversity, Manchester Metropolitan University and theUniversity of Bolton all undertaking offshore or large scalewind-related research. There is particular expertise in offshoregrid connections and transmission systems.

Energy-related research and innovation is spearheadedby the internationally recognised Joule Centre for EnergyResearch. Based at the University of Manchester, the JouleCentre is a partnership of Northwest universities, businessesand other organisations associated with the energy industry.It supports innovation in the energy sector through grantsand other financial assistance, and is one of the UK’s firstcentres dedicated to the development of sustainable energysupplies, pioneering new low-carbon technologiesincludingwave, tidal andmicro-hydro systems, and electricalcontrolmodelling of High VoltageDC transmission systems foroffshore wind farms.

The Northwest’s long-standing commitment and supportfor wind energy is further demonstrated by the NorthernWind Innovation Programme (NWIP), developed withpartners in Yorkshire, Humberside and the Northeast. NWIPis a £2.6 million research fund which aims to addresschallenges in cost, supply chain capacity and capability, andworkforce expertise in offshore marine environments. TheNWIP fund focuses broadly around four technology areas:AC/DC electrical conversion, foundation system optimisation,bearing quality improvement and installation technologies.Although the programme closed for new applications in September 2009, the approved projects will run untilautumn 2011.

Research,skills & supportOne of the Northwest’s greatest strengths inenergy is the skills and training of the workforce

AGRILEKAGRILEK ARE PROVIDING KEYSERVICES TO ROBIN RIGG, THELARGEST OFFSHORE WIND FARMIN THE NORTHWEST. WE HAVEBUILT OUR REPUTATION IN THEWIND ENERGY SECTOR OVER THEPAST 20 YEARS HERE IN BARROW,CUMBRIA. IT IS AN IDEAL BASEFROM WHICH TO EXPAND OUROPERATIONS THROUGHOUT THEUK AND FURTHER AFIELD.”Ian Postlethwaite, technical director, Agrilek

“With over 20 years’ experiencein wind energy, Barrow-basedelectrical engineering firmAgrilek has worked on over 30onshore and offshore windprojects in the UK, includingsupplying two132kV sub-stations for the Robin Rigg windfarm in the Solway Firth, off thecoast of Cumbria.

Supporting investors

The NWDA leads the economic development of theNorthwest and works with companies in a variety ofindustries and countries in attracting foreign directinvestment.With over 3,000 foreign-owned businesses inthe region, we have one of the UK’s strongest trackrecords in assisting large companies and SMEs with theirlocation and expansion decisions.

We a ppreciate that making the best investment decisionsrequires accurate information and timely, relevant,practical advice.

Our Investment Services team offers a range of free andconfidential services designed to assist businesses inmaking these choices. This includes information on: legaland tax issues; recruitment support; property type,availability and cost; financial assistance; and networkingopportunities with potential supply chains and otherrelevant businesses.

Financial Support

The NWDA offers a range of financial support to helpbusinesses with their investment and expansion projectsin the Northwest.

Grants for Business Investment support businessesundertaking major investment projects which increa sethe region’s productivity skills and employment.

Grants for Research and Development help businessesfund the R&D required to get new products to market.Support for innovation in carbon reduction technology isalso available.

Grants for Improving Your Resource Efficiency provideassistance to businesses undertaking investment projectswhich reduce CO2 emissions.

Venture Capital and Loan funding offers a combination ofloan, equity and mezzanine finance to support businessgrowth in the region.

Our Investment Services team can provide furtherinformation regarding eligibility.

One hour flight from Paris,Amsterdam or Brussels

Less than two hours’ flight from Madrid,

Copenhagen or Berlin

Two hours by train from

central London

Home to twoEuropean

cultural centres – Manchester andLiverpool

STAY CONNECTED IN ENGLAND’SNORTHWEST

For further information about the business andinvestment opportunities in the region, visitenglandsnorthwest.com or call our InvestmentServices team on +44 (0)1925 400 495.

252,000 BUSINESSES1MILLION GRADUATES£120 BILLION ECONOMY

The Northwest sits at the centre of the UK, stretching fromCumbria in the north to Cheshire in the south, with two of themost dynamic and cultural cities inManchester and Liverpool.

The economy is both large in size – bigger than15 EUcountries, standing at £120 billion, with 252,000 businesses –and scale; being home to many of the world’s leading R&Dinvestors, including AstraZeneca, BAE Systems, Unileverand Rolls-Royce. Annual private sector expenditure is over £2.2 billion; placing the region ahead of many Europeancountries.

The region has more than seven million people – almosttwice the population of Ireland. In terms of skills, there is astrong tradition of advanced engineering expertise, servingspecialist areas including the aerospace, automotive andchemicals industries. This is in addition to its position as aworld leader in nuclear energy. The region’s experience andexpertise will prove to be significant as the UK enters a newera of nuclear energy. It also provides essential skills forrenewable energy and environmental technology.

More universities, more graduatesA dynamic, educated, skilled workforce exists, which

boasts more than a million graduates. The region is hometo one of Europe’s largest concentrations of universities –12 in total – including the University of Manchester, top10 in Europe and top 30 in the world. There are a further 60education colleges.

Well connectedIt is also one of the best connected regions in the UK,

easily accessed both nationally and internationally by road,rail, sea or air.

There are three international airports in the Northwest,flying to over 270 destinations worldwide: Liverpool JohnLennon, Blackpool International and Manchester International– the UK’s largest airport outside London.

The comprehensive road infrastructure is unrivalled,boasting 70% more motorways than the national average.The region is at the crossroads of the key North-South (M6)and East-West (M62/M56) motorway networks, providingdirect access to all British major cities within four hours.

The region is equally well serviced by the rail network.Over 39 trains per day travel the route between Manchesterand central London, with journeys taking just over twohours, making this Europe’s best connected intercity route.The line links the Northwest to London, Scotland andmainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel.

Beautiful landscapeThe Northwest has an enviable location in terms of

standard of living. It is home to England’s largest NationalPark; the Lake District and three Areas of OutstandingNatural Beauty; at the Solway Coast in Cumbria, Arnside andSilverdale in Lancashire and the Forest of Bowland inLancashire. There are twoUNESCOWorld heritage sites, atLiverpool waterfront and Hadrian’s Wall, Cumbria, oneheritage coast and 32 nature reserves. In fact, almost a thirdof the region is designated as National Park or an Area ofOutstanding Beauty.

Coupled with its outstanding port facilities, superblandscape and long-standing commitment to renewableenergy, these strengths make the Northwest an ideallocation for investors, enabling owners, developers andsuppliers to move equipment, people and plant to and fromthe region quickly and easily.

The bigger pictureWith a larger economy than Hong Kong, more than amillion graduates and a leader in R&D, the Northwestis an ideal location for investors

Wind energy at a glance

650 MILES OFCOASTLINE 150 SUPPLY CHAINCOMPANIES5GW POTENTIAL OFIRISH SEA ZONE SHALLOW SHORES OF 5-30M 4 x 24 HOUR PORTS 3 INTERNATIONALAIRPORTS

Tel: +44 (0)1925 400 495www.englandsnorthwest.com