Great British Energy invests £300m to boost offshore wind supply chains

GREAT BRITISH ENERGY (GBE), the UK’s state-owned energy company, has announced a £300m (US$400m) investment to support offshore wind development.

The funding forms part of the £1bn Energy Engineered in the UK (EEUK) programme, which aims to strengthen domestic clean energy supply chains under the government’s Industrial Strategy. It targets “urgent bottlenecks” in the development and supply of key equipment, including blades, turbines, transmission cables and converter stations.

Supply chain costs

Offshore wind plays a major role in the UK’s energy mix, providing 17% of its total electricity needs. By 2030, the UK aims to deliver 43 GW of energy through offshore wind, nearly triple its current capacity of 16 GW.

Analysts warn that rising supply chain costs could slow this expansion: the maximum guaranteed price for offshore wind rose to £113 per MWh earlier this year, up from £102 per MWh in 2024.

These costs have already shut down large-scale projects in the UK, including the Ørsted’s Hornsea 4 project off the coast of Yorkshire, which could have added 2.4 GW alone to the UK’s offshore wind capacity.

GBE Strategy

In response, GBE has launched the Deepwater Wind Commercialisation programme, which focuses on the deployment of floating wind projects, including proving a delivery pathway for emerging technologies.

The EEUK programme will also invest an additional £700m in renewable energy supply chains as part of a larger Investment Fund in mid-2026.

Rob Gilbert, GBE’s director of supply chains, said: “This programme will help the UK energy sector to learn collectively, scale deliberately and compete globally – not just on cost, but on homegrown, long-term capability.”