News

Teesside firms have urged big companies operating large renewable energy projects to feed more work to the local supply chain.

Stokesley fabrication specialist MC Ware Mechanical and deep sea cable laying firm CTC Marine Projects in Darlington have both successfully bid for work on key schemes in the region.

Now there are further opportunities in the pipeline, with EDF Energy leading the Teesside Offshore Wind Farm scheme off the coast of Redcar and Hartlepool in the running for a £150m wind turbine venture led by Spanish firm Gamesa.

But MC Ware and CTC have expressed concern that too much work on big schemes is being diverted to firms outside of the region, despite the North-east boasting a ready-made supply chain for the renewable energy industries.

Jonathan Wheatley, managing director of MC Ware Group, at the firm's River Tees site

Jonathan Wheatley, managing director of MC Ware, said: "It's great that international players such as EDF are basing huge, job-creating schemes on Teesside.

"However, for the region to get full economic value from these projects, we need to see more work going to local firms with the necessary expertise.

"We have a flexible, capable supply chain on our doorstep so it makes absolute sense to use it."

Pierre Boyde, commercial and business development director at CTC Marine Projects said: "On previous schemes, too much work has gone to overseas companies based hundreds of miles from where the work is taking place.

"The North East is unique in that it can provide the full supply chain for an offshore wind farm development."

"Of course there has to be a fair and transparent tender process and Teesside firms have to prove they are competent enough to take on the work.

"However, we know of local companies that have all the right credentials on paper through their long track record but have still been overlooked."

Now MC Ware and CTC want the Government to put pressure on lead contractors to guarantee that a certain proportion of the work will be passed on to the local supply chain.

Mr Wheatley added: "The region could extract more value from these projects if, say, at least 30% of the work went to local suppliers.

"In return, local firms would have to demonstrate that they could carry out the work to a sufficiently high standard."

CTC Marine kit on the BARD Offshore Wind Farm Project

17th February, 2012