Financing Offshore Wind, Ports and Grid Connections – Investment Summit Write Up

The Clean Industrial Growth Investment Summit, hosted in Leeds, brought together investors, policymakers, and industrial leaders to shape the UK’s next phase of economic transformation. 

In a hope to achieve an understanding where capital is flowing, the event provided a platform to enable delegates to engage with policymakers shaping the investment environment, connecting them with developers and delivery partners, and allowing them to join a focused, senior-level conversation. 

One of the first panel discussions of the day, sponsored by Square One Law LLP, focused on the financing and delivery of offshore wind, port infrastructure, and grid connections, and the critical role these play in moving projects from concept to completion. 

Chaired by Phil Gregory, Commercial Property Partner at Square One Law LLP, the session focused on how investment appetite, policy frameworks, and supply chain readiness are shaping the pace of delivery. 

Speakers on the panel included: 

• Rob Heaton, Head of Supply Chain at Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) 

• Simon Parrish, Transactional Director at ARUP 

• Scott Barton, Managing Director of Corporate and Institutional Banking at Lloyds Banking 

• David Gwynne, Director at the National Wealth Fund 

Investment appetite and market confidence 

The panel opened with a discussion on the current appetite for investment across offshore and port infrastructure. 

Scott Barton started by highlighting that investment in the UK offshore wind remains highly robust, supported by a mature regulatory environment and long-term mechanisms such as Contracts for Difference (CFDs).  

These frameworks continue to attract significant levels of private capital, with large-scale projects and multi-billion-pound financings which show the strength of the market. 

He also highlighted that there’s evidence of capital reallocation towards the UK, with investors increasingly viewing it as a stable and attractive destination for energy transition investment. 

From a port’s perspective, David Gwynne noted a clear distinction between established and upcoming opportunities. Operational ports with stable cash flows continue to attract strong investor interest, particularly from pension funds and global institutions. 

However, newer infrastructure, particularly those that are needed to support offshore wind, present more complex challenges. In this case, public institutions, such as the National Wealth Fund, play a huge role in investing ahead of certainty, helping to unlock projects and crowd in private capital. 

Risk, certainty and the role of public finance 

A key theme that ran throughout the discussion was the balance between risk and certainty in enabling investment. 

While commercial lenders require a level of predictability, public finance institutions are often able to step in earlier to take on policy-driven risk to support project development. 

David Gywnne emphasised that this is not about removing risk entirely, but about creating a pathway to commercial viability, where projects can transition to private financing. 

This dynamic highlights the importance of collaboration across the capital stack, with several types of investors playing complementary roles at various stages of project development. 

Infrastructure challenges and supply chain capacity 

As the conversation moved towards delivery, the panel discussed the practical challenges of scaling offshore wind and the infrastructure associated with this. 

Simon Parrish spoke about the technical complexity involved in both offshore wind farms and port redevelopment. From ground engineering and load-bearing capacity to the availability of specialist equipment such as heavy-lifting cranes, these projects require specialised capabilities that are currently in limited supply. 

He further noted that offshore wind developments are large-scale, technically demanding, and exposed to environmental risks such as diverse weather, making programme certainty and contractor expertise pivotal to successful project delivery. 

Rob Heaton added to this that the sector is undergoing industrialisation quickly, with increasing pressure to deliver projects at scale all while retaining quality and competitiveness.  

With this, a key challenge lies in strengthening the UK supply chain, particularly at tier two and tier three levels, to ensure that domestic businesses can support and benefit from the growth of the sector. 

Deliverability and national capacity 

The panel also addressed whether the UK is currently equipped to deliver the scale of infrastructure needed. 

Skills and workforce capacity was highlighted by Simon as a significant constraint. With thousands of roles needed across the infrastructure pipeline, there is a clear gap between current capability and future demand.  

Scott added that supply chain limitations, in areas such as specialist construction and engineering, pose risks to timelines and project delivery. 

Despite these challenges, there was a consensus across the panel that the UK has a solid foundation, supported by a clear pipeline of projects and increasing alignment between policy and investment. However, keeping momentum will require coordinated action across skills, infrastructure, and regional development. 

Floating wind and future opportunities 

Looking ahead, floating offshore was identified as a critical, but complex, area of growth. 

Scott highlighted that, compared to fixed-bottom offshore wind, floating wind currently presents a higher risk profile, driven by its costs, limited record at scale, and uncertainty around long-term operational performance.  

While it is still an important part of the UK’s future energy mix, Scott noted that lenders are still building confidence in the technology. 

Simon echoed Scott’s point by emphasising the technical uncertainty surrounding floating wind. With limited large-scale deployment to date, he noted that investor confidence will depend on building a stronger evidence base through demonstration projects and real-world performance data. 

Rob provided further context from a supply chain perspective, explaining the shift from fixed to floating wind as a significant step change in engineering and industrial processes. 

Across the panel, there was an agreement that unlocking floating wind at scale will require phased and coordinated approach, combining policy support, technical validation, and supply chain readiness to gradually reduce risk and build investor confidence. 

Final reflections 

The panel concluded that while investment appetite for offshore wind and port infrastructure is strong, delivery now depends on addressing the practical challenges of scale, capability, and coordination. 

From financing structures and policy frameworks to supply chain readiness and workforce development, a joined-up approach will be needed to move projects forward at pace. 

This discussion reinforced that the UK is well positioned to lead in offshore wind, but unlocking its full potential will depend on aligning investment, infrastructure, and policy to deliver outcomes. 

A big thank you to our sponsor of this panel, Square One Law LLP. 

For more information on our upcoming events, please check out our events page here.  You can enquire to get involved now by emailing enquiries@thesustainabilitycommunity.com