ETZ Ltd's Challenge Fund features in OGV Renewables Magazine
The ETZ Ltd Challenge Fund: Supporting the regional energy supply chain
The transition toward low carbon energies continues to create valuable opportunities for North East Scotland’s world-class energy sector.
ETZ Ltd, a private sector-led and not-for-profit company spearheading the region’s energy transition ambition, is uniquely positioned to support the supply chain on this journey. Our Challenge Fund continues to provide vital support for businesses as they diversify and, to date, 37 companies have fast-tracked their own transition ambitions with almost £5 million in grant funding. Crucially, this has been matched by an additional £10.7m private sector investment from the recipient companies evidencing the welcome appetite for energy transition across the region.
The Fund has supported companies representing a diverse range of sectors including Offshore Wind, Green Hydrogen, Geothermal and Battery Storage.
As far as pioneering low carbon hydrogen solutions is concerned, the North East is ideally placed to deliver a substantial proportion of the UK’s future requirements – 20% of the 2030 target – as a result of a number of current and near-future projects.
Glacier Energy is a shining example of a company that recognises this particular opportunity and has used Challenge Fund support to develop its orbital welding equipment.
Glacier Energy’s Business Development Director, Tracie Watson said: “The funding supported our strategic plans to leverage our design and manufacturing heritage to explore the energy transition. This will then ultimately help us fast-track the number of hydrogen storage and energy storage vessels we can produce for our client’s projects.”
Glacier Energy’s design and manufacture division has a 120-year track record in the design and manufacture of heat exchangers, pressure vessels and structural fabrication, equipping it with the knowledge and expertise to develop and deploy innovative solutions that support hydrogen, carbon capture and energy storage markets.
As a company, we have a special interest in hydrogen storage and Glacier Energy has now developed a range of proprietary products, to safely and reliably store and move hydrogen,” Ms Watson explained.
“The orbital welding equipment we invested in, with support from the ETZ Ltd Challenge Fund, now allows us to accelerate the production of hydrogen storage vessels through automation, saving significant time and net cost of the hydrogen, which is a key driver in the wider adoption of hydrogen in the industrial sector.”
Supported by significant funding from the Scottish Government Just Transition Fund, The Challenge Fund is now enabling companies to enter and maximise the opportunities in low carbon energies, exploiting these markets.
Freda Miller, ETZ Ltd’s dedicated Supply Chain Programme Manager, recognises the importance of companies like those receiving the funding.
She said: “The supply chain is the lifeblood of the energy sector in this region. These are the homegrown companies, with specialist skills and experience to scale and deploy innovative solutions that are vital if we’re going to reach net zero, both here in Scotland and right across the globe.
“The recipients of the ETZ Ltd Challenge Fund are all ambitious to accelerate their plans to invest in operations to support their transition journey into the low carbon market.”
The Challenge Fund continues to support SMEs servicing the oil and gas market in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray to transition to new or existing opportunities in new and low carbon markets. The fund is administered by ETZ Ltd and in part work being undertaken to reposition the region as a globally recognised new and green energy cluster. The organisation is making significant progress through a dual area of focus, operating both as a regional catalyst for energy transition, along with delivery of the largest dedicated energy transition complex in Scotland, the Energy Transition Zone.
Applications for the ETZ Ltd Challenge Fund are currently open and companies are encouraged to apply before 5 pm on Thursday 27th March 2025.
You can find out more about applying and hear from other past recipients here:
