THE leader of Hull City Council has pledged "to move heaven and earth" to ensure Hull realises its potential at the heart of the UK's renewables boom
Councillor Carl Minns has promised to do everything in his power to ensure businesses and job-seekers received the lion's share of the opportunities from the swiftly emerging sector.
Mr Minns was speaking at yesterday's Renewing The Humber event at the University Of Hull.
He said: "As a city, we have set out our strategy to be at the heart of offshore renewable energy.
"Many other council leaders from across the country have said the same thing.
"However, the difference is that this city decided this strategy five or six years ago.
"We did that not because of some pie in the sky idea we had, but because of the local competitive advantages of this region."
These advantages, as Mr Minns explained, include the Humber's prime location near wind farms off the east coast, lying just 12 hours sailing time from Hull.
But he stressed renewables was about "more than just wind".
He said: "We do not want to be seen as a one trick pony in the renewables revolution.
"Hull also has unique advantages in terms of carbon capture and biomass.
"However, with the likes of ABP's Green Port Hull development and Siemens' Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to locate to Hull, our key focus in the next few months will be on getting that MOU turned into a contract.
"I believe that will be a catalyst for others to invest here. We have a skills base and are geared up, not just for Siemens, but for supply chains as well, and we will move heaven and earth to make this concept a reality."
Organised by Renewables Network in conjunction with Mail News & Media, parent company of the Mail, the two-day event marked the first time a national-level business conference on the renewables sector has been staged in the area.
And in light of recent developments taking place in the Humber, there has never been a better time for firms to find out more about the renewables revolution.
Last month, Siemens announced it was to work with Associated British Ports (ABP) on developing an �80 million factory on Alexandra Dock in east Hull.
The Siemens factory is earmarked for 130 acres of Associated British Ports (ABP) land at Alexandra Dock and is expected to create about 10,000 jobs in the region.
Just three weeks later, energy company Eon confirmed it had been granted permission to build Humber Gateway – a �300 million offshore wind farm located just a few miles off Spurn Point.
The 77-turbine wind farm will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 150,000 homes and could create 1,000 jobs during construction.
Eon also estimated another 30 jobs in operations and maintenance would be required throughout the 40-year lifespan of the wind farm.
Both announcements reinforced the Humber's position at the forefront of the UK's booming offshore wind industry.
Yesterday, more than 180 delegates travelled from all over the UK and beyond to hear experts and major players in the field explain how people could benefit from the booming renewables industry.
And they highlighted how individuals and businesses from all walks of life were set to benefit from future investment, from students and engineers to retailers and hotels.
Tim Handley, project developer for Eon's Humber Gateway development , said: "There are going to be opportunities for everybody.
"I think people focus on the physical things, like making widgets or turbine blades, but it is not just about making things.
"There are opportunities for everybody, from the lady who owns a B&B – after all, people coming in to the area are going to need accommodation – to transport and logistics companies."
Sam Pick, director of Renewables Network, said travelling to conferences across the globe made him realise Hull should hold its own major renewables event.
He said: "I have been all over the world to conferences – to Oklahoma, Iowa City, Texas – but if you look at the Humber region and the level of investment, we are probably the world leader in wind energy and renewables.
"So I thought, why not bring a conference here?
"It is estimated �14 billion will be spent on renewable energy projects in the Humber region by 2015.
"Many small businesses today will be wondering how they can get their share of this investment and there is a bit of a gold rush with renewables at the moment.
"My approach is always to break it down and see how you can play your part.
"When there is a gold rush, the last thing you want to be doing is looking for gold – you want to be selling spades. That's how I see renewables."
Other speakers at the event included: Tim Blackmore, key account manager at Vestas; Tim Barraclough, of Enterprise Europe Yorkshire; Professor Stephanie Haywood, of the University Of Hull's Centre For Adaptive Science And Sustainability (CASS); and Mark O'Reilly, director of business development at Team Humber Marine Alliance.
Gareth Russell, ABP's business development manager, also spoke at the event along with Marc Paish, chief technical officer of tidal energy experts Pulse Tidal, James Bennett, director of Ernst And Young's Environmental Division and Andrew Morton, account director at renewables PR business Footprint.
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