Petrobras Starts UK Offshore Wind Tour

A delegation from the Brazilian multi-national oil and gas company Petrobras is visiting the North East England to meet with major supply chain companies in the offshore wind sector.

During the visit, the delegates – accompanied by members of the Department for International Trade Brazil – will take part in three days of activities hosted by Durham-based NOF Energy.

This includes a number of site visits to sector specialists across the region including Wilton Engineering, PD Ports, DeepOcean, Osbit and Smulders Projects UK.

They will also attend Offshore Wind North East on Thursday 8 November 2018, organised by NOF Energy.

The conference and exhibition, which takes place at the Xcel Centre, Newton Aycliffe, in November will explore the opportunities available in the offshore wind energy sector.

Petrobras recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Norwegian firm Equinor to evaluate a joint business development to establish offshore wind generation in Brazil.

The delegation includes a number of members involved in the implementation, engineering and research of an offshore pilot project which Petrobras aims to have up and running in Rio Grande do Norte state by 2022.

“The supply chain cluster in the North East is considered an exemplar within the industry and I’m confident Petrobras will gain a valuable insight into why it is a global leader in offshore wind energy,” Joanne Leng, Deputy Chief Executive of NOF Energy, said.

“The fact the delegation has chosen to visit this region is an exceptional vote of confidence in the outstanding levels of expertise, knowledge and innovation based here. The UK and Brazil already have a positive relationship in the oil and gas sector and I hope this can be replicated in the offshore wind industry as the South American country develops its renewable infrastructure and capabilities.”