Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking in conjunction with (a) the Offshore Wind Industry Council and (b) individual companies within the supply chain of the offshore industry to devise standardisation; and if he will make a statement.

The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult is pursuing work on developing standardisation across the offshore wind industry.

Following the recommendation in Matthew Chinn’s report into opportunities and barriers facing the UK offshore wind supply chain in November 2014 to the co-chairs of the Offshore Wind Industry Council, the Offshore Wind Programme Board sub-group on Supply Chain is now investigating this topic, including best practice in other sectors. Reducing costs through standardisation needs to be balanced with the value of bringing in new innovations.