26/10/2022

RenewableUK announces inspirational winners of Global Offshore Wind Awards 2022

26 October 2022 - RenewableUK press release


RenewableUK has announced the winners of our first ever Global Offshore Wind Awards at a ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The awards highlight the achievements of innovative people working in our industry, as we ramp up the amount of clean electricity we’re generating for consumers using our cheapest source of new power, while also increasing Britain’s energy security.


13 main awards were made last night across 3 categories showcasing key aspects of the industry, including People, Skills and Health and Safety, Innovation and Excellence, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). A diverse cross-section of senior figures in the industry formed an expert panel of judges.


The first award of the evening, Offshore Wind Health & Safety and Wellbeing, went to the team at Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm, as the judges said that the way they included health and safety as an integral part of project planning was the embodiment of best practice in the industry.


The next award, Offshore Wind Energy Skills, was won by the partners behind the Celtic Sea Gwynt Glas project, who joined forces with Pembrokeshire College to launch Destination Renewables, a two-year course which provides a qualification for students aged 16-18 in low-carbon technologies. The course was praised by the judges as the kind of initiative which helps to lay the foundations for our future workforce.


The third award, Future Leaders, went to RWE Renewables’ Senior Stakeholder and Supply Chain Manager, Helen Thomas, who established a supply chain forum for industry and Government in north Wales and the north west of England, The Offshore Energy Alliance. The judges praised her excellent leadership skills, including her work on RenewableUK’s Shadow Board.


The Aspiring Leader award went to Vattenfall’s Angus Binnian, a Cable Integrity Engineer.  The judges noted that he was promoting the wind industry before he was even working in it - while he was still a student in Energy Engineering at the University of East Anglia, he became a peer mentor delivering wind farm design sessions at local schools and colleges.


MJR Power and Automation won the Supply Chain Innovation award; they designed, built and tested the world’s first electrical charging point on an offshore wind turbine, enabling the de-carbonisation of Operational & Maintenance work with the transition to zero-emission vessels.


The Offshore Wind Gamechanger award went to Siemens Gamesa for developing the world’s first recyclable turbine blade, made from a new type of resin which allows it to be fully recycled or recovered. Siemens Gamesa was also named overall winner with The Judges Award for its global impact on sustainability by developing the recyclable blade.


Moray East was awarded Offshore Wind Project of the Year. The judges were impressed by the innovative approach taken to the development of the site, including the borrowing of jacket technology from the oil industry.


The Social Impact award went to Tony Quinn, Director of Technology Development at ORE Catapult in Blyth. He has also been an integral part of social change in the local area, developing Blyth STEM Hub which engages with 2,500 school pupils a year, and the Energy Central Learning Hub, a new education, training and skills facility.


Dan Smith of Royal HaskoningDHV won the Performance and Reporting Transparency award for the development of Ensis, a web app which helps to improve the way in which offshore wind assets are monitored.


The Equality and Inclusivity award went to ORE Catapult for demonstrating its strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion by setting up seven diversity forums including interfaith, women and LGBTQ-plus groups.


The Just Transition Champion Award was won by X-Academy, an initiative by Xodus, which has delivered transformative career opportunities for 26 entrants to the low-carbon sector, with two-year salaried placements giving participants secondments in the industry.


Ørsted’s Vice President, Offshore, Head of Environment, Consenting & External Affairs, Benj Sykes, won the Outstanding Contribution award for his work in the offshore wind industry. In a specially-filmed video, senior colleagues paid tribute to him as an inspirational leader and a committed advocate for our industry who has made the sector better and stronger.


RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Dan McGrail said:


“We’ve inaugurated these awards to enable us to identify and celebrate specific achievements within our sector, and to inspire others as we accelerate towards a net zero future. The UK is a world leader in offshore wind and it’s right to celebrate what drives our industry forward - growth, innovation, the vibrancy and resilience of our supply chain, our incredible people and the quality of our provisions on health and safety.


“I’d like to congratulate not only our worthy winners but all our nominees - the judges had to make difficult decisions with strong candidates in each category, and I’m very grateful to them for devoting their time and expertise to this event. We’re toasting the success of everyone who works in our dynamic sector, and we’ll continue to build on these achievements in the years and decades to come, as a great deal of work still lies ahead”. 


Mr McGrail also thanked the headline sponsor of the event SSE Renewables, as well as our sponsors Corio, Hitachi Energy, Mainstream Renewable Power, Ørsted, RWE, ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall, as well as our event supporters.


(ends)

Notes


RenewableUK’s members are building our future energy system, powered by clean electricity. We bring them together to deliver that future faster; a future which is better for industry, billpayers, and the environment. We support over 400 member companies to ensure increasing amounts of renewable electricity are deployed across the UK and to access export markets all over the world. Our members are business leaders, technology innovators, and expert thinkers from right across industry.


RenewableUK’s full events programme is available here.


For further information, contact