Offshore Wind Conference 2023 Programme

Scotland's offshore wind sector is set to transform our coastlines on a scale the country has never seen before with a pipeline of projects that will have a huge enabling effect across the sector. This session will take stock of where we are now and what has been delivered so far as the renewable energy industry makes the most of this opportunity.

Chair
Claire Mack, Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables

Ministerial Address
Nicola Sturgeon MSP, First Minister of Scotland

Speakers
Brian McFarlane, Head of Offshore Development GB, SSE Renewables & SOWEC Co-Chair
Joanne Allday, Strategic Business Development Manager, Port of Cromarty Firth
David Webster, Director of Energy, Forth Ports Group
Colin Maciver, Head of Offshore Wind Development, Crown Estate Scotland

Session sponsored by Broadshore Offshore Wind

Whilst pockets of offshore wind excellence exist in our local supply chain, Scotland has no green industrial strategy. Projects, ports and suppliers are operating commercially in competition with each other which can impede the growth of our industrial base and supply chain, meaning missed opportunities for investment and green jobs. This session will explore what is needed to create a true sense of direction for this critical Scottish industry and how we ensure the delivery of our net-zero ambitions as well as a world-class renewable energy supply chain. 

In this session we’ll cover:

• Scotland's true offshore wind vision
• The size of the prize - what is the opportunity arising from this accelerating industry
• What direction we need to go and what the Scottish supply chain needs to succeed in wind 

Chair
Susie Lind, Managing Director, BlueFloat Energy | Renantis Partnership

Speakers
Melissa Read, UK Business Manager (Offshore Wind), Shell
Sian Lloyd-Rees, UK Managing Director, Mainstream Renewable Power
Iain Sinclair, Executive Director, Global Energy Group
Davis Larssen, Chief Executive Officer, Proserv

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet key offshore wind project procurement teams. 

The industry has outlined its commitment to the development of the Scottish supply chain. To support this, developers, tier 1 supply chain and industry stakeholders, are joining us at the Offshore Wind Conference 2023 for our new Meet-the-Buyer Business Booths.  

Taking place in the exhibition hall, the booths will bring together companies from all levels of the supply chain and key project buying contacts. Suppliers attending one-to-one meetings in our business booths will learn all they need to know about how to get involved in upcoming bidding processes and have the opportunity to share their organisation’s solutions with procurement teams from this rapidly-growing sector.

To find out more and secure your 10-minute meeting with booth hosts Marram Wind, Norwegian Energy Partners, SSE Renewables, Van Oord and MPI Offshore please visit this page.

Session sponsored by Port of Cromarty Firth

In October 2021, the UK Prime Minister announced that up to £160 million will be made available for investment in port and manufacturing developments that aim to bring us closer to the scaled-up deployment of floating offshore wind needed to meet our ambitions and wider net-zero objectives. This investment alongside other initiatives, such as the Green Freeport programme, underline one common goal: that our Scottish ports and facilities require much needed development if we are to deliver our offshore wind ambitions. 

This session brings together key figures from the supply chain to answer the age old question - which comes first: the chicken or the egg? 

In this session you will learn:

• How the Green Freeport programme is playing out and if it will deliver for offshore wind
• Will Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS) touch the sides and, if not, what else do we need to deliver local manufacturing facilities

Chair
Morag Watson, Director of Policy, Scottish Renewables

Speakers
James Glennie, SIA Coordinator, Lumen Energy and Environment 
Joanne Allday, Strategic Business Development Manager, Port of Cromarty Firth
Ian Milne, Sales Manager - Renewables, Balmoral
Ole Stobbe, Business Development Manager – Northern Europe, BW Ideol

All delegates, exhibitors and Day 1 speakers are welcome to join this drinks reception taking place in the exhibition hall.

Welcome speech
Adam Morrison, Country Manager U.K., Ocean Winds 

All delegates of the Offshore Wind Conference 2023 are invited to join a special Burns Supper taking place on the evening of Day 1 at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum - a short walking distance from the conference venue. This is a paid event and all delegates must book a table or ticket to join this evening event. Read more. 

Opening remarks
Claire Mack, Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables

No-one can be in any doubt about the scale of the renewable energy opportunity in Scotland but the sector is nothing without delivery. Reflecting on the offshore wind projects already generating green energy and examining the key elements needed for the success of our short-term pipeline, this session will capture key achievements to date and delve into each project in more detail.

In this session you will learn:

• How near-term offshore wind projects are setting out to define a new era of power from the seas
• Key barriers and opportunities between now and 2030 - and how to overcome them
• Updates from the projects which are already becoming household names in Scotland

Chair
Amy Keast, Senior Policy Manager - Offshore and Marine, Scottish Renewables

Speakers
Sophie Large, Senior Project Manager, Seagreen Offshore Windfarm Ltd
Pete Geddes, EPC Director, Moray West Offshore Wind Farm
Ryanne Burges, Ireland and Offshore Director, EDF Renewables
Allan MacAskill, Chief Technology Officer, Flotation Energy
Richard Copeland, Project Director, Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm

Scotland and the rest of the UK have ambitious plans to expand offshore wind deployment across the isles. Benj Sykes and Carlos Martin are at the forefront of accelerating the sector as key thought leaders in offshore wind.

Join us, in conversation with Benj Sykes to hear his expert view as Vice President, Head of Environment, Consenting & External Affairs at Ørsted and how we can harness the economic benefits of this mind-blowing renewable energy, and Carlos Martin, CEO, BlueFloat Energy with his expert view on the international opportunity for floating wind. 

Chair
Claire Mack, Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables

Speakers
Benj Sykes, Vice President, Head of Environment, Consenting & External Affairs, Ørsted
Carlos Martin, CEO, BlueFloat Energy

Session sponsored by WSP

With the UK Government’s Offshore Transmission Network Review and National Grid ESO’s Holistic Network Design pointing to big strategic changes, the electricity grid is on everyone's mind. In this session we’ll present some deeper thoughts about offshore wind’s place in Scotland and the UK’s energy future.

In this session you will learn:

• The key policies guiding grid - and what might the future of transmission look like
• How emerging sectors could form holistic energy hubs and clusters in our seas
• How we can deliver the system we need for 2030 while growing our grid and technology supply chain

Chair
Morag Watson, Director of Policy, Scottish Renewables

Speakers
Amanda Webb, Head of Future Offshore Networks, BEIS
Alice Etheridge, Head of Offshore Coordination, National Grid ESO
Bless Kuri, Head of System Planning and Investment, SSEN Transmission
Fiona Townsend, Associate Consultant, WSP

While ScotWind set the bar for offshore wind in Scotland, the projects which it will deliver are years away. Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas leasing round, designed in response to demand from government and industry to help achieve the targets of the North Sea Transition Sector Deal, could deliver smaller projects more quickly.

So what are the opportunities - and the pitfalls - from this approach? And can renewables innovation in oil and gas sector deliver supply chain growth and energy transition opportunities.

In this session you will learn:

• The potential for INTOG to support Scotland to deliver 11GW of offshore wind by 2030
• How INTOG is creating opportunities for developers to test new ideas and enable innovative projects such as the deployment of green hydrogen
• The opportunities INTOG could offer Scottish suppliers to prepare for ScotWind contracts

Chair
Ralph Torr, Head of Floating Wind, ORE Catapult

Speakers
Thibaut Cheret, Wind and Renewables Manager, OEUK
Graeme Rogerson, Senior Project Manager - Integrated Energy Systems, NZTC
Alexander Quayle, Project Director, Flotation Energy
Stuart Brown, Associate - Floating Wind, EMEC

In association with ORE Catapult

With ScotWind unleashing deeper water and higher wind speed sites across both fixed and floating, and INTOG coming hot on its heels, the need for innovative solutions in Scottish wind farms has never been greater. Where are we going to see game-changing innovations that will make a difference for the next-generation of wind farms outside the OEMs’ race to the top on turbine sizes?
 
In this session you will learn:

• Why innovation is as important as ever for Scottish offshore wind
• About technologies which will shape offshore wind’s next decade
• About the funds and support systems which exist to drive offshore innovation to the next level - at lowest cost

Chair
Alex Louden, Senior Technology Acceleration Manager, ORE Catapult

Speakers
Stuart Ferguson, Investment Partner, Sustainable Ventures
David Bould, Lead R&D Specialist, Ørsted
Izzy Taylor, Head of Business Development and Marketing, Jet Connectivity
Andy Tipping, Head of Commercial, Zelim

Session sponsored by Bellrock Offshore Wind

Things are ramping up as the 28GW of ScotWind leasing projects begin to progress. This session will focus on the incredible pipeline which we will see develop over the coming decade and will give many of the successful ScotWind project developers the chance to update you on their sites, the opportunity in front of them and the challenges that lie ahead. 

In this session you will learn:

• What work is already underway to deliver ScotWind
• What technologies are being considered - and the implications of those choices
• How offshore wind and green hydrogen will interact to play one of the energy transition’s starring roles

Chair
Morag Watson, Director of Policy, Scottish Renewables

Speakers
Jack Farnham, Development Director, RIDG Power
Tanya Davies, Projects Director (Europe), Northland Power
Alasdair MacLeod, Project Director, Buchan Offshore Wind
Denise Neill, Deputy Project Director, Shell
Catarina Rei, Head of Development, Ocean Winds
David Robertson, Project Director, Bellrock Offshore Wind
Kevin Murphy, Project Manager, Marubeni

The consenting process is a vital part of delivering offshore wind projects. As new demands are placed on regulators from across the energy transition, what more could be done to ensure a smooth path forward to kick start the future of offshore wind?

In this session you will learn:

• What leading legal experts think about the lessons learned from past experience and what they think would benefit the consenting process
• The view from key regulators on fast-tracking offshore wind
• How governments have moved to speed this time-intensive process - and what more could be done

Chair
Colin Innes, Partner, Planning and Environment, Shepherd  + Wedderburn LLP

Speakers
Jon Abbatt, Lead Consents Strategy Manager, SSE Renewables
Nancy McLean, Head of Consents, Bellrock Offshore Wind (BlueFloat Energy | Renantis Partnership)
Debbie Harper, Associate Director, Arup
Zoe Crutchfield, Head of Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team, The Scottish Government

Closing Remarks
Nick Sharpe, Director of Communications & Strategy, Scottish Renewables