WILMINGTON — The Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) has signed an agreement with the offshore wind hub Port of Blyth in England in hopes of opening new trade relations and business channels with international partners.
The five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) lays out potential areas where both the DPP and the Port of Blyth could leverage strengths for economic development and raise visibility for both entities with potential customers. The agreement was signed by DPP Global Advisor David Smallman and Martin Lawlor, the chief executive of the Port of Blyth on Monday in North England.
“We look forward to working together with DPP to share best practices and explore new markets,” Lawlor said in a prepared statement. “The signing of the MOU reflects a strong commitment to building a collaborative framework that prioritizes mutual benefits, innovation, and sustainable growth for both the Port of Blyth and DPP.”
This agreement also offers a way to solidify ties with North East England, which includes Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear. Back in 2019, the DPP signed a similar MOU with the North East Local Enterprise Partners in Northeast England. Leaders hope the new agreement will open more doors to new business opportunities, including in offshore wind.
“What this agreement is a way to solidify that we want to cooperate for mutual economic benefit in the places we both serve. It’s always about the potential benefits. Will this turn into significant wins? We hope so,” DPP CEO Kurt Foreman told the Delaware Business Times.
The Port of Blyth holds a strategic central location on the east coast of the United Kingdom, and was home to the nation’s first offshore wind project in 2000. Under Lawlor’s leadership, the port operations grew to include 52 clean energy companies based around the region, effectively creating a one-stop shop for shipping vessels. The Port of Blyth has reportedly brought in $3.9 billion pounds in operating revenue this year.
“Blythe has become one of the key global hubs for serving offshore wind, and the north sea fields are some of the most active in the world,” Foreman said. “It’s one of the places companies have set up operations to serve and deploy those offshore wind fields, build and test equipment. They also have a really cool government-funded accelerator program for early-stage companies.”
Delaware is working out its place in the offshore wind sector, as at least one Maryland wind farm is working its way through the permitting process and requiring the First State to grant permission for a transmission line to make landfall at 3R’s beach north of Bethany Beach. There’s also higher education institutions like University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College looking to train the future workforce to help build and service the technology.
A past study prepared for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) found that the development of offshore wind farms along the East Coast from Massachusetts to Virginia will bring $109 billion in spending, creating upwards of 83,000 jobs over the next decade related to construction, factories, ports and boats. However, Delaware will be competing with other states on the East Coast for that opportunity.
“When I started to learn more about the port, many of those companies may want to come to the United States because our industry is just starting. Why can’t Delaware be the place where some of those companies [based out of the Blythe port] choose to locate and serve from?” Foreman said. “I don’t know if we’ll be successful, but I certainly want to raise our hand and say, if you’re thinking of doing this, think about Delaware.”
