Knowledge proximity and technological relatedness in offshore oil and gas and offshore wind technology in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom (UK) has a strong base of offshore oil and gas (O&G) industry and possesses enormous offshore wind power (over 40 per cent of the total in Europe). The skills and technological resources of the O&G industry could possibly be applied to develop offshore wind farms to generate electricity. In this article, the core capabilities and competencies of offshore O&G industry are studied to see if they can supplement the emerging offshore wind industry, which is likely to be one of the future renewable energy sources for the United Kingdom. The fact that the United Kingdom will turn out to be energy importing country in the future against its current position as energy exporting country, prompts the need to explore avenues for alternative sources of energy. The authors perceive this threat to offshore O&G sector as an opportunity for the offshore wind industry, and investigate, through a survey of views, the proposition that the offshore wind industry offers a future market opportunity for the offshore O&G industry in the United Kingdom.