Two Lowestoft businesses will be showcasing their skills and products to a global audience next week at a high-profile offshore industry conference in Scotland.
AKD Engineering and Pegasus Energy UK will be joining 18 other companies from the east of England at the SPE Offshore Europe conference in Aberdeen from today until Friday.
Spurred by the renewed dash for gas in the southern North Sea, the businesses are heading north in an effort to highlight the breadth of the resources and experience within the East of England Energy Zone (EEEZ).
They will have a joint stand hosted by EEEZ that will represent everything from engineering and transport companies to ports, insurers and publishers.
Delegates will have a chance to hear about the work of AKD Engineering, which is based at Horn Hill and provides specialists engineering, manufacturing and offshore services. It recently agreed a £5m deal with Shell for work on a rejuvenation project at Bacton gas terminal in north Norfolk.
Pegasus Energy UK, which is based at Quayside Business Centre in Suffolk Road, will be showcasing its oil and gas and renewable directories which contain details of thousands of businesses.
James Gray, EEEZ's inward investment director, said: 'We've been England's leading hub for the southern North Sea gas sector for nearly 50 years and continue to offer that unique heritage of expertise to the UK and worldwide.
'With many energy companies also diversifying into the burgeoning offshore wind market along our coast, we are attracting major investment... With investment in oil and gas set to increase dramatically over the next decade, we expect to see spin-off benefits in the ports and supply chain in Norfolk and Suffolk.'
About 6,200 businesses with a combined annual turnover of £12.9bn are active across the energy industry in the east of England. They employ more than 103,000 people – a figure set to rise with the new industry-driven skills programme, Skills for Energy, led by the Gorleston-based East of England Energy Group, which will be among the exhibitors next week.
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