Ayrshire businesses turn out in force for £2 billion renewables opportunity

HUNDREDS of local businesses attended a major renewable energy event in Cumnock looking to secure a share of an estimated £2 billion onshore wind investment pipeline.

Businesses ranging from small hospitality providers to construction firms and professional services companies were represented at a first of its kind for East Ayrshire Meet the Buyer event at Cumnock Town Hall.

They came to meet the developers behind East Ayrshire’s 1.5GW onshore development pipeline, allowing local businesses to find out about forthcoming contracts, meet potential customers and learn how to tender for work.

Independent analysis by BIGGAR Economics has found that onshore wind projects in the East Ayrshire pipeline could represent around £2 billion of investment in the local economy over the next five to eight years and a £4 billion expected lifetime investment.

Among those attending the event, led in partnership by OnPath Energy, The Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and East Ayrshire Council’s Business Gateway Service, was Irvine-based Cogeo Planning and Environmental Services. The company recently expanded with a new Glasgow office and hopes to build on its existing expertise in environmental consultancy and planning.

As an Ayrshire business, we wanted to be here to meet some of the key players involved in these developments and make sure they know what we can offer.

“The scale of the opportunity coming to East Ayrshire is a major positive for businesses like ours. We’ve already invested in expanding our services and securing work from these projects would allow us to keep growing.

“There’s a bigger picture here too. This is an area with a long history of coal mining and now we’re looking at a different future. Renewable energy can create opportunities for local businesses and give young people the chance to develop skills and build careers in an industry that will be important for years to come.”

Iain Buchanan, Principal Environmental Consultant at Cogeo

The event was organised following the establishment of the East Ayrshire Developer Forum by OnPath Energy in April, bringing renewable energy companies together to improve collaboration and ensure local communities and businesses can benefit from planned investment.

Working alongside East Ayrshire Council, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, The Ayrshire Growth Deal and Business Gateway, the initiative aims to ensure businesses across the area are given greater visibility of upcoming contracts and a fair opportunity to tender for work.

The event featured separate sessions for companies already experienced in tendering for major contracts and those looking to enter the renewable energy supply chain for the first time.

Among the developers represented were Brockwell, Vattenfall, Scottish Power Renewables, Fred Olsen Renewables, Force 9 Energy Partners, Renewco and 3REnergy, alongside SP Energy Networks.

When we go into communities, people often ask why developers don’t work together for the good of the community.

“To see more than 200 businesses coming through the doors on the day was fantastic. We’ve had people from a range of sectors, and it shows just how many different types of local business could benefit.

“This is about putting local people and businesses first. Over the next five to eight years, there is significant investment planned for this area, and we want to make sure as much of that money as possible stays in the local economy.

“We also want smaller businesses to understand that these opportunities aren’t just for the big companies. When our projects are ready to go out to tender, we want Ayrshire businesses to be among the first to know and to have a genuine chance of winning that work.”

Aileen McCreadie, community and partnerships manager at OnPath Energy.

The opportunity extends well beyond the specialist companies involved in building wind turbines. Major renewable energy developments also require plant hire, transport and accommodation, as well as catering and a wide range of professional services.

Furthermore the event gave companies the chance to identify gaps in their skills or experience which could prevent them from winning contracts, with business support organisations on hand to offer guidance.

David McDowall, who heads the Ayrshire Growth Deal shared service for East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire, said events of this kind through partnership working between the Chamber of Commerce, Developers and Business Gateway could help ensure more of the economic benefits of renewable energy investment are retained locally.

“For a long time, we’ve seen people coming from across the UK to work on projects in this industry. With the scale of renewable energy development planned for Ayrshire, we want to see more local people getting local jobs and more of our businesses securing that work which aligns perfectly with our Community Wealth Building principles.

“An event like this brings local companies face to face with the businesses that will be buying services in the future. Those opportunities can range from putting in foundations and carrying out forestry work right through to supplying food to wind farm sites.

“It’s also about finding out what support businesses need to be ready to tender. Some are already very capable of delivering work in the renewable energy sector but may have gaps in their skills or experience of procurement.

“We can use what we’ve learned from this event to help those businesses develop and grow to meet the procurement and skills challenges, working with Ayrshire College and other training providers to address skills shortages and make sure local people are in a stronger position to benefit from the investment coming into the area.”

Claire Baird, CEO of Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “For the Chamber, this is about creating a stronger and more sustained connection between Ayrshire’s business community and the renewable energy sector.

“We were delighted to play our part in bringing businesses and developers together, but we see this very much as the beginning. The strong response to this first event gives us something to build on, and we look forward to continuing that work with our partners so Ayrshire businesses remain closely connected to the opportunities emerging across the sector.”

The Meet the Buyer event builds on efforts to support the ambitions of the Scottish Government’s Onshore Wind Sector Deal, which seeks to maximise the economic opportunities created by the expansion of onshore wind.

Organisers will now use the information gathered from businesses attending the event to identify further procurement support and training needs, as well as taking this approach in other areas such as South Lanarkshire to help more local companies prepare for forthcoming renewable energy contracts.