The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has today hosted the first meeting of a new government-industry group designed to support the rapid development of the UK's burgeoning offshore wind industry. 

The Offshore Wind Industry Council is to be chaired by Business and Energy Minister Michael Fallon and Keith Anderson, chief operating officer at ScottishPower. 

It will include senior executives from a host of firms operating in the UK's offshore wind industry, including turbine suppliers such as Siemens and Mitsubishi, engineering and services firms such as Fluor and MPI Offshore, and energy suppliers and wind farm developers, such as Mainstream Renewable Power, DONG Energy, Vattenfall, and all of the "Big Six" utilities. They will also be joined by representatives from the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Crown Estate, which manages the UK sea bed. 

Fallon said the new group would play a crucial role in helping to accelerate the development of an industry that is of strategic importance to the UK. 

"Britain has a real chance to lead the world in the offshore wind sector, not least because of our weather," he said in a statement. "I am determined that government and industry should work together and make sure the UK makes the most of the opportunity for growth and jobs that this sector presents, as well as a vital contribution to our energy mix." 

The group has been formed as part of the Coalition's industrial strategy, which has seen the government identify 11 strategic sectors where it wants to tighten links between Whitehall and industry. Several of the sectors will also play a crucial role in the UK's decarbonisation strategy, including nuclear, oil and gas, IT, agri-tech, construction, and automotive. 

Fallon said that the new group would help to encourage investment across the whole of the UK's offshore wind industry, arguing that "by building an enduring partnership between government and industry, we can set out a clear strategy which encourages the development of the supply chain". 

However, one of the topics bound to get an airing at the first meeting is the extent to which the government is enabling investment in the offshore wind industry supply chain, given several turbine manufacturers have warned that investments are on hold as a result of continued uncertainty over the Energy Bill and specifically the issue of whether or not it will include a binding decarbonisation target for the power sector for 2030. 

The group is also likely to inform the government's promised offshore wind industrial strategy, which according to BIS will set out a "long-term, whole of government approach to supporting British business, giving them the confidence they need to invest, hire staff and grow". 

ScottishPower's Anderson said the promised strategy, which is due to be released in the coming months, was an "important development that should act as a blueprint to guide both the industry and the government" as it seeks to deliver large-scale and cost-effective offshore wind farm projects. 

"It is vital that the renewable energy industry and the government continue to work closely together to unlock all of the social and economic advantages of developing offshore wind power, as well as the major environmental benefits,Books can be as thick as 4 inches and yet the Book scanner 9000 delivers flat.These industrial extractor are fabricated as per clients needs in various specifications." he said. "The UK continues to lead the world in offshore wind, and we need to use this position to leverage as much global investment as possible to secure jobs across the supply chain, and see infrastructure upgraded to support this industry."