Form

Eligibility criteria for the offshore wind investment programme

Updated 1 June 2021

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offshore-wind-manufacturing-investment-support-scheme-investment-programme/eligibility-criteria-for-the-offshore-wind-investment-programme

We invite offshore wind component manufacturers to apply for the scheme if they meet all of the 6 mandatory eligibility criteria below.

1. Delivery

Confirm that:

  • the project will be delivered by a UK registered business
  • the project will be carried out in a ‘disadvantaged or deprived region of the UK’ (see section 1 of the guidance document)
  • the proposed project (and investment) must be in a realistic position to reach a financial investment decision in 2021 and be operational to supply by the end of 2023

2. Employment impact

Confirm that the project will create or safeguard a minimum of 250 direct full-time equivalent jobs at the proposed facility. Applicants will be required as part of their application to set out the numbers of jobs to be created or safeguarded and for how many years the jobs will be guaranteed for. Should your application be successful the retention of jobs for the period stated will be a condition of any grant award.

3. Sectoral scope

Confirm that grant funding applied for is only sought for eligible costs (see section 3 of the guidance document). This can be for:

  • the construction of new manufacturing facilities
  • the construction of an extension or expansion of existing manufacturing facilities

You will also need to confirm that the (new or extended/expanded) facilities are to be used to manufacture at least one of the following components:

  • offshore wind blades
  • offshore wind towers
  • offshore wind export and array cables
  • offshore wind monopile foundations
  • other strategically important components for offshore windfarms (recognised as such by BEIS)

4. Requirement for public sector support

Confirm that the project cannot viably proceed without government funding.

5. Market demand

Confirm that:

  • you’re confident you have a viable product that is market competitive
  • you have assessed the market demand for your project and the components it produces

6. Subsidy control

Confirm that your project is in line with the current subsidy control regime in the UK:

  • any award of funding made to you will constitute a subsidy
  • the applicant is eligible to receive a subsidy and is not an undertaking in difficulty

It is your responsibility to make sure your organisation is eligible to receive the subsidy. You as the applicant:

  • are responsible for ensuring that subsidy control rules are fully complied with in respect of any award of grant funding
  • understand that the Grant Funding Agreement will require clawback of funds in the event of any non-compliance with subsidy control rules

View a summary of the subsidy control rules.

You will need to provide BEIS with a subsidy control advice note confirming compliance from an internal lawyer.

You may also be asked by BEIS to provide a subsidy control legal opinion confirming compliance from an external legal adviser.

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