Working in partnership with UK suppliers

Introducing offshore wind in the UK

RWE has been pioneering offshore wind in the UK for more than two decades. Blyth, our first venture into offshore wind, was commissioned in 2000. Since then, both our technical expertise and offshore portfolio have grown substantially. 

Currently in the UK, we have 10 operational offshore wind farms, have one under construction and a further 6 in development making us one of the largest developers in the UK.

Introducing offshore wind in the UK

Growing the UK pipeline

RWE recognises suppliers as being the backbone of our success. Throughout our journey, we have sought to maximise UK supplier opportunities, working in partnership with our skilled and diverse supplier network. Together, we have been at the forefront of innovation and driven both regional and industry-wide successes in terms of local regeneration, job creation, Gross Value Add (GVA), infrastructure opportunities and enhanced supplier capabilities.

All of which contribute to the success of the UK market globally.

Statistics

Up to £ 00 billion

expected RWE investments in new green technologies and infrastructure in the UK by 2030

00 %

of O&M spend at project level at GyM was with UK based suppliers in 2022 (£65million)

Out of 00 suppliers

used by Rampion Offshore Wind Farm in 2022, 145 were UK based (86%)

Championing supplier development

RWE works closely with UK Government, other developers and suppliers to facilitate supply chain growth. Via the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) we are helping to shape the policies that will realise the UK Government’s ambition of 50GW by 2030.

At a regional level, we recognise the importance of creating opportunities to deliver new supplier networks and regional growth by fostering local businesses, skills and innovation activities, via industry clusters including the Offshore Energy Alliance which we established in 2019.

Supporting supplier innovation

RWE has been driving UK innovation as a leader or active participant in many UK research programmes. Examples of collaboration include those with key parties such as the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC) and The Carbon Trust. We recognise innovation as a crucial component to supplier growth and overall UK market success and are committed to ongoing collaborative efforts to engage in this way.

We also collaborate at a local project basis with a range of universities and R&D institutes, to drive knowledge creation in the offshore sector. Most recently, RWE’s state-of-the-art Sofia construction project has been actively involved in OREC’s Launch Academy. Through this, small innovative companies are able to address project-specific and wider industry challenges, as identified by RWE.

Continuously advancing the supplier network

We understand our role in advancing UK supplier capability and consider this across our project, company and industry level engagements. Through the development of tailored Supply Chain Plans our projects are delivering on commitments across green business growth, infrastructure investments, innovation and skills to aid the development of our future workforce and industry. 

We work via Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and other initiatives to explore valuable relationships with prospective supplier partners, funding studies and working in partnership where we see potential. At an industry level, we work with our counterparts to identify challenges and pose solutions that enable vital growth and success.

Supply Chain Plans

The UK government’s Supply Chain Plan (SCP) process is in place for renewable projects over 300MW applying for a Contract for Difference (CfD). The process requires developers to submit a document containing commitments across the categories of: Green Growth, Infrastructure, Innovation and Skills. Through the SCP process, RWE’s recent Triton Knoll and Sofia Offshore Wind Farms have undertaken a range of initiatives, showcasing success right across the four categories.

RWE is committed to high quality SCPs across all of our project developments. 

RWE is working in partnership with UK suppliers | Supply Chain Plans

Work with us – Supply chain portals and information

We want to ensure we have easy to use platforms for suppliers to provide their information and register their interest in supporting our offshore wind projects. Please register your company's interest, find out about contracting opportunities or search for suppliers below.

Projects in development

Register to work with us on our projects in development

RWE STEP Platform

Sofia

Register to work with us on Sofia

Sofia Portal

Operational sites

Register to work with us on our operational sites

RWE Central Procurement Portal

Supplier case studies

Overall, and including its committed investments in projects already under construction, RWE expects to invest up to £15 billion in new green technologies and infrastructure in the UK by 2030. Information on our 10 UK operational offshore wind farms can be found here.

Below are some case studies highlighting the number and variety of companies we use and engage with.

RWE is working in partnership with UK suppliers | Projects map

Please click on the map to zoom

Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm

A 160 turbine, 576-megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm located off the coast of north Wales. Construction started in 2011 and the wind farm became operational in June 2015. The O&M base is Port of Mostyn.

Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include:

Granada Materials Handling, Manchester, Manufacture & provision of Davit cranes
Company was awarded a contract for 164 wind turbine foundation cranes. This order enabled the redevelopment of the Granada factory and created additional jobs.

Workplace Worksafe, North Wales, Bespoke & innovative on site safety equipment
Local company was awarded a contract to provide safety equipment to meet the specific safety needs of the onsite team.  It included the challenge of developing a safer and simpler solution for exchanging and moving  the power inverter on site and offshore. The result was the creation of the Deltasafe, now being provided by the company to wind farm sites across the globe.

Mareel Ltd, North Wales, Crew vessel chartering
Company (formerly Turbine Transfers) provided crew transfer vessel charters during construction.

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Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include...
Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm

Sofia Offshore Wind Farm

A 100 turbine, 1.4-gigwatt (GW) offshore wind farm that is currently under construction. It’s the largest consented project in RWE's offshore wind portfolio and will be one of the largest single offshore wind farms in the world as well as one of the farthest from shore at 220km from the onshore connection point in Teeside, NE England.

Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include:

Jones Bros Civil Engineering, North Wales, Onshore converter station civil engineering
Delivered the enabling works package for the onshore converter station platforms for both Sofia and neighbouring Dogger Bank C. 

J Murphy & Sons, London & various, UK, Export cable civil engineering works
Design and delivery of the onshore export cable civil engineering works with 100% UK sub-contractors used. A strong Teesside-focussed recruitment drive led to a predominantly local workforce.

Severfield Nuclear & Infrastructure, North Yorkshire, Secondary steel provision
Undertook the connection design, fabrication, treatment, and assembly of the onshore converter station steel frames. The company also supplied the cladding support system; metal deck and site paint touch up for the buildings.

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Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include...
Sofia Offshore Wind Farm

Galloper Offshore Wind Farm

A 56 turbine, 353-megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm located off the coast of East Anglia. Construction started in late 2015 and the wind farm became fully operational in March 2018. The O&M base is Harwich International Port.

Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include:

JDR Cables, County Durham, Array Cables
Company was sub-contracted to manufacture the array cables for the wind farm. It was a substantial contract at the time and enabled them to sustain current employment levels, and as a result of the increased workload, to increase its workforce over the longer term.

Jackson Civil Engineering, Ipswich, Civil Engineering Contractor
For their work on Galloper’s operations & maintenance base, around 80% of Jackson’s sub-contractors, workforce and major material suppliers were located within a 50 mile radius from Harwich.

James Fisher Offshore, Aberdeenshire & Lowestoft, Diving & underwater remotely operated vehicles
Company delivered a number of offshore services (including assistance in the form of software, diving services and underwater ROVs) as part of the construction activity of the wind farm.

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Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include...
Galloper Offshore Wind Farm

Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm

A 90 turbine, 857-megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm located off the coasts of Lincolnshire and north Norfolk. Onshore construction commenced in September 2018 with turbine commissioning successfully completed in January 2022. The project is now fully operational with an O&M base at the Grimsby Hub.

Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include:

Able Seaton Port, Hartlepool, Seaport for wind turbine assembly
Port was regenerated to enable the delivery by sea of offshore wind turbine parts for the first time in its history. A combined multi-million pound investment transformed the port into a specialist assembly and construction facility for use on the project by turbine supplier Vestas.

Dobson UK, Lincoln, Landscaping works & maintenance services
Company was contracted to provide post-construction landscaping works and maintenance services at Triton Knoll. The contract involves the implementation of the approved landscaping plan at the newly constructed onshore substation which comprises tree planting, seeding & fencing and ongoing maintenance services at locations along the onshore cable route.

Tolent, Tyne & Wear, Construction of O&M base
Company was contracted to construct Triton Knoll’s multi-million pound operations base in Grimsby. The base is now home to a team of skilled technicians and support staff, responsible for maintaining the offshore wind farm for the next 25 years.

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Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include...
Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm

Rampion Offshore Wind Farm

A 116 turbine, 400-megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm located off the south coast of England. Construction started in 2015 and the wind farm became operational in late 2018. The O&M base is Newhaven Port.

Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include:

Windcat Workboats, Lowestoft, Crew Transfer Vessels
Company supplied crew transfer vessels in support of the construction and operations phases. Eight vessels were chartered during the construction phase, with two continuing to provide ongoing operational support.

Babcock International, Rosyth, Offshore Substation Platform
Company fabricated the offshore substation platform in Rosyth, Scotland and managed the supply of the jacket foundation for the platform. This was their entry into producing such a structure to the offshore wind sector, diversifying from their established marine and defence businesses.

MC Construction, Cleveland, Vessel steelworks for monopile foundation installation
Company is a SME based in the Northeast that provided steelwork for grillages, sea-fastenings and monopile up-ending tool. These were essential components needed on the jack-up vessels to enable installation of the 116 turbine monopile foundations.

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Some examples of the many suppliers who have worked on the project include...
Rampion Offshore Wind Farm

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