Abstract
This latest report from the Policy & Innovation Group at the University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with the Supergen ORE Hub, examines how the UK can align its dual ambitions of economic growth and Net Zero through the development of competitive domestic offshore renewable energy (ORE) supply chains.
While national strategies such as the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan set a clear direction of travel, the report highlights a persistent gap between high-level ambition and delivery. In particular, it explores how innovation support and supply chain capability must be more deliberately prioritised and coordinated if the UK is to convert clean energy deployment into long-term industrial value.
The report places offshore renewable energy technologies at the centre of the UK’s future energy system, recognising their essential role in delivering Net Zero by 2050. However, it argues that realising the full economic benefits of ORE deployment will depend on the proactive development of underpinning supply chain capabilities, ensuring that clean energy growth is matched by domestic manufacturing, high-quality employment and export potential.
A central theme of the report is the tension between the speed of Net Zero delivery and the development of a modern, competitive domestic supply chain. Rather than accepting trade-offs between these objectives, the report sets out a Disrupt and Modernise approach that combines disruptive innovation with forward-looking industrial modernisation, limiting long-term reliance on imported technologies while building UK capability at scale.
This approach underpins the report’s Leapfrogging Transition framework, which focuses on overtaking rather than simply catching up with international competitors. By targeting a limited number of strategic, high-value and cross-cutting technology areas, and coordinating action across government, industry and regional actors, the UK can secure leadership positions across offshore wind, tidal stream and wave energy supply chains.
To support delivery, the report introduces a Disrupt and Modernise Innovation Ecosystem, structured around two complementary pathways: one focused on disruptive innovation in devices and subsystems, and the other on technology-agnostic industrial modernisation through advanced manufacturing, automation and digitalisation. These pathways are enabled by clear market signals, effective regulation and consenting, and strengthened through collaboration and regional clustering.
Taken together, the report concludes that if the UK is serious about reducing reliance on imported ORE technologies and retaining value at home, it must act now. Treating disruptive innovation and industrial modernisation as inseparable objectives offers a credible pathway to securing a resilient, competitive domestic supply chain while delivering clean energy commitments at the pace required.