President Trump officially invited to hear how offshore wind has transformed the Humber after ‘get rid of windmills’ call
Donald Trump has been formally invited to hear how offshore wind is transforming the Humber, following his call to clear the North Sea of turbines.
In his first week back in The White House, regional organisations Humber Marine and Renewables and Humber Energy Board have jointly written to the 47th President of the USA.
Mr Trump’s view of a sector that is redefining the maritime roles played by Hull and Grimsby has concerned many, with thousands of jobs having been created to support the ever-increasing capacity built out in the near North Sea.
The Humber is home to a global-leading offshore wind operations and maintenance cluster, with the world’s biggest wind farms controlled from it. The huge blade plant in Hull ensures the area plays a key role in manufacturing too.
As widely reported, one of President Trump’s first social media posts of the new year called on the UK to ‘get rid of windmills’ and open up the North Sea for oil and gas exploration. It came after a US firm announced it was exiting the region due to the tax regime and heightening environmental regulations.
Now fresh from his inauguration, and his executive order to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, he is being urged to further his understanding of the renewable industry, either in person or via his Ambassador to the UK, Jane Hartley, who has also been invited.
Trade body Humber Marine & Renewables has led on the offer, having initially been asked to respond to his comments on a BBC interview, with the suggestion immediately made that he should attend the organisation’s Offshore Wind Connections 2025 to understand the impact.
The formalisation of the offer has been backed by Humber Energy Board, the organisation working to decarbonise the UK’s most carbon intensive region.
Dave Laister, director of Humber Marine & Renewables, who gave the original Look North interview, said: “The offshore wind industry has reinvigorated the Humber’s maritime sector, bringing back a world-leading status last seen at the height of the distant water fishing fleets, now a distant memory.
“It has brought pride, economic opportunity and inspiration to a coastal area most in need and has also helped put wider decarbonisation of one of the most concentrated industrial clusters in the spotlight.
“We want to explain the huge benefits these ‘windmills’ bring, and where better than at a conference where industry leaders unite.”
Offshore Wind Connections 2025 takes place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Hull on April 30 and May 1. Mr Laister, PR and media director at Hull-based Fred Marketing, hosts it.
The letter:
Dear Mr President,
Congratulations on your inauguration as the 47th President of the United States of America.
Following your recent remarks on offshore wind turbines in the near North Sea and UK energy policy, we write to you as key stakeholders based in the Humber region of the UK to formally invite you and your highest UK representative to attend our Offshore Wind Connections 2025 event, taking place in Hull on May 1.
This annual conference and exhibition underlines the huge strides made in renewable energy from our East Coast location, which is proudly home to the largest wind farms in the world. We would be delighted to give you and The Honourable Jane Hartley, United States Ambassador of the United Kingdom, the opportunity to meet industry and academic leaders, who can explain the huge economic benefit, regenerative impact and STEM inspiration this nascent sector has brought to coastal communities when they needed it the most.
What was one of UK’s most deprived neighbourhoods now stands as a global exemplar to the revolutionary and real impact of the offshore wind sector on our economy. The remarkable transformation of the Humber region as a pioneer of installing, maintaining and controlling these ‘maritime power stations’, has demonstrated the resourcefulness in providing thousands of jobs, and in engaging with schools and other education providers on the doorstep.
Being at the forefront of renewable energy has also allowed the region to place other necessary steps in the Net Zero journey in the spotlight too, as a just transition is sought for all. For not only is the Humber the centre of offshore wind excellence, it is also the second-most carbon intensive industrial cluster in Europe.
This invitation comes as another record-breaking year for global temperatures is recorded for 2024, with climate extremes more prevalent than ever before.
We wish you well in your second term.
Yours sincerely,
David Laister
Director, Humber Marine & Renewables
Jonathan Oxley Executive Director, Humber Energy Board