Political opinion with Mary Glindon MP. Boosting our vital offshore wind industry

Mary Glindon MP highlights the urgent need for action on air pollution in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend, where thousands of children are exposed to toxic air exceeding WHO guidelines.

placeholder image — Mary Glindon MP highlights the urgent need for action on air pollution in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend, where thousands of children are exposed to toxic air exceeding WHO guidelines.

In a special parliamentary debate this week, I told the Commons how the North Sea fuels the offshore wind power that will be an increasingly important part of our national energy mix and asked for interventions to maximise the blessings of our geography.

And how they have encouraged companies such as Smulders Projects UK, which I have worked with for many years.

It’s a critical employer in the sector and in my constituency. It’s not only a key global player but the UK’s leading provider of the kit that forms the essential building blocks of the critical infrastructure required for UK renewable energy security.

But the home-grown offshore wind industry in our North East faces gales of competition from lower-cost regions such as the middle east, the far east and China.

I detailed fears about an uneven playing field and unfair competition from these places and the need for additional measures and guarantees to ensure that a significant portion of offshore wind infrastructure is secured and fabricated by companies such as Smulders

I also told the minister about how companies are constrained by physical barriers. Power cables over the Tyne that are lower than the tall ships impede businesses securing work for large renewable energy structures, which risks possible net gross value added benefits of up to £1.2 billion.

The Energy Secretary promises to help me in my long-running campaign to underground these cables and I hope that we can get an earlier completion date for this work.

The minister agreed that the Tyne has the capacity to become a major hub for the installation and maintenance of offshore wind farms, and to service the supply chain that will grow from it.

She also told me that the government is determined to do everything it can to help our offshore wind sector to thrive and to deliver for the British people. All that’s music to my ears and the companies that are going great guns but I will keep up the pressure to maximise our natural advantages for the common good.

The whole debate is at https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-10-29/debates/90F037E1-D612-4C16-B77B-A26E042671BD/OffshoreWindSupplyChainTyneside