Speaker Spotlight: Neil Golding, Energy Industries Council

As the offshore renewables industry continues to surge in prominence, the challenges and opportunities it presents are becoming a key discussion. Cyann Fielding gets a sneak preview from Neil Golding, the head of market intelligence at the Energy Industries Council, about his panel session at AntwerpXL this November.

Golding highlights some key trends noticed through the EIC’s project tracking database, including a huge amount of growth in the number of global offshore wind projects. ‘This has been driven certainly, over the course of the last two or three years, by the fixed bottom, offshore wind developments. But now we’re also seeing an increasing number of floating offshore wind developments being announced across the globe,’ he explains. The size of these projects is getting bigger and bigger, too.

Golding also highlights several key players in the offshore renewables sector. China stands as a dominant force, not only in terms of project development but also in the supply chain, notably the provision of crucial equipment. However, opportunities are not limited to China; Taiwan, South Korea, the UK, the US, Germany, Vietnam, and Japan are also prominent markets for offshore renewables. Furthermore, several emerging markets, such as Brazil, Sweden, Australia, Italy, and Finland, have ambitious plans to expand their presence in offshore wind energy.

There’s a big challenge for both manufacturing and the supply chain to keep up with the growing scale and speed of the industry. ‘We continue to see that turbine suppliers, certainly European turbine suppliers are continuing making a loss in terms of the delivery of the projects and actually finding there is more competition from Chinese turbine providers as well,’ comments Golding.

‘Unfortunately, what we have seen because of the constraints and the rising costs, certainly in fixed bottom developments and the commercial viability of those projects, as we’ve seen some developments move slowly or indeed being cancelled completely,’ he adds.

Despite these challenges, Golding shares that the supply chain remains excited about the opportunities offshore wind presents. The key to overcoming these challenges is diversification. Organisations should maintain a diverse portfolio in the energy sector while remaining aware of the key players and new entrants in the market.

For the upcoming AntwerpXL conference, Golding is excited to present to an audience that may not be his usual one. He looks forward to understanding the current challenges the industry faces in scaling up its operations, including aspects related to the breakbulk supply chain. The event provides a unique platform to explore these crucial aspects of the offshore renewables sector.

For his audience at AntwerpXL, Golding promises to offer a reality check for the offshore renewables industry. ‘It will shed light on the industry’s opportunities and challenges and emphasise the importance of staying adaptable and informed in a rapidly evolving market,’ he says.

Golding comments: ‘It’s just being aware that this is no longer just a market for in Europe, this is a diverse market, in terms of the geographical spread of the projects and understanding.’ Organisations will need to adapt in order to understand where opportunities are and which projects are going to move forward globally. Golding aims to provide organisations with the insights they need to navigate this dynamic landscape effectively.

Neil Golding will be taking part in the panel on offshore renewables at AntwerpXL.

Make sure you are registered to attend, to not miss out: AntwerpXL 2023 (visitcloud.com)

Author: Cyann Fielding, AntwerpXL