North-East engineering firm secures wind turbine deal (From The Advertiser Series)

Tag Energy Solutions, near Billingham, to help develop floating turbine platforms

6:00am Saturday 2nd March 2013 in Business By Steven Hugill

A NORTH-EAST engineering company has secured another major coup after landing a deal to help push forward the UK offshore energy industry.

Tag Energy Solutions, near Billingham, has signed a deal to work with Principal Power (Europe) to build floating supports for wind turbines.

Principal Power has been awarded £698,630 by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to advance its WindFloat System, which sees turbine platforms mounted on floating foundations allowing them to be sited in deeper water and areas of higher wind.

The deal comes just days after Tag, which makes monopiles and jacket foundations for offshore wind turbines, revealed it was building steel sections of Eon's wind farm off the Humber Estuary, in East Yorkshire.

That deal, the first contract of its kind awarded to a British company, is thought to be worth more than £10m and could create at least 70 new engineering jobs with Tag making 16 1,000 ton, 60 mere-long steel foundation poles.

Alex Dawson, Tag chief executive, said the partnership with Principal Power showed the company was committed to being a driving force in the offshore energy sector.

He said: “Our facility demonstrates our desire to be at the leading edge of manufacturing for the offshore wind industry and we are delighted to work alongside Principle Power (Europe) on the development of its WindFloat innovation.

“This project is important as it’s essential that the sector maximises opportunities to exploit innovation and advances in technology that can increase the energy harnessed from offshore wind resources in deeper waters, in a cost-effective manner.”

Alla Weinstein, Principal Power chief executive, said the funding would provide the company with the opportunity to make greater steps forward in the renewable energy market.

She said: “The WindFloat allows offshore wind installations to be independent of water depth and placed where the wind is stronger and more consistent.

“It eliminates the need for seabed-disturbing foundation structures and can be sited to avoid conflicts with other marine uses, while offering considerable economic advantages because it is suitable for serial production, manufacturing and on-shore commission of the fully assembled floating foundation and turbine.”