Five Cornish businesses shone the spotlight on the county’s expertise in the geothermal industry on a trade mission to San Diego co-ordinated by UK Trade & Investment in partnership with Invest In Cornwall.
Altcom, EGS Energy, Fugro Seacore, Tiger X and Calidus Engineering joined together to showcase Cornwall’s capabilities at the GEA Geothermal Energy Expo, the largest gathering of geothermal energy leaders in the world, attended by more than 2,500 attendees from 13 different countries
Nigel Halladay, Director of Calidus Engineering, says: “The event provided a unique opportunity for the five of us to showcase our products, services and state of the art technology to the geothermal community.”
The United States is the world leader in geothermal generation and latest estimates indicate the U.S. could potentially generate nearly three million megawatts using the Earth's heat, or about ten times the installed capacity of coal power. With the growth of the geothermal industry, the Expo has been rapidly expanding, with the number of exhibitors more than doubling since 2008.
Nigel Halladay says: ‘The sheer scale of the Expo and its worldwide stature made it a terrific showcase. The trade mission was great from start to finish. As a group, we all gelled very well and it has led to some exciting new opportunities for Calidus Engineering.
The contacts I made at the show have led directly to an exciting new contract to provide consultancy for a fibre optic monitoring system and is likely to lead to a still larger contract as the next stage. We also got other leads in the States, New Zealand and Australia as a result of the Expo, and although it is still early days on these, they look promising.
The help from Invest in Cornwall and UKTI in facilitating our attendance at this exhibition has had a very positive impact on our business “
This was echoed by Dougie Cross, Director of Tiger X, who said: “We specialise in digital animation and before the trip, we really did not know very much about the geothermal industry or know whether it offered any scope for us.
“We had carried out a project for the Eden Project but that was our only experience of the geothermal sector. I was amazed by how much potential we discovered. As a result of the trip to San Diego, we now know we have realistic international opportunities in the geothermal sector and moreover the experience has transformed our whole approach to marketing.
“It has made us realise that there are a whole plethora of niche markets where our service is relevant and where we can stand out. This has made us think again about our entire business plan and we will certainly be targeting international opportunities in niche markets in future.
“I left the EXPO with over 50 new international prospects in countries including New Zealand, Canada and Australia. We have already received our first order and we are negotiating contracts with several more prospects, many of which I am confident will come to fruition. Taking part in this trade mission has revolutionised the way we will approach our business strategy in future.”
Meanwhile, Tony Bennett, Operations Manager of EGS Energy said: “I did not go to the show with any particular expectations, but I found the experience exceptionally useful.
“For me, the main objective was to raise awareness of EGS Energy and understand the dynamics of the geothermal sector in the USA. It was also a terrific opportunity to network and collaborate with other businesses, which was great as one of the problems with being based in Cornwall, is that you can feel out on a limb.
“I was able to see what products are available in the sector globally, what markets there are and also to meet a variety of people from different parts of the geothermal community which could lead to new opportunities for us. It also gave us the opportunity to liaise with suppliers, in order to keep up to date with technology developments.
“The whole experience has raised awareness of our company on a worldwide stage and broadened our horizons, opening new doors for us which could help us grow in future.”
Karen Biggs works on New Business at Fugro Seacore, which designs, builds and operates drill rigs around the world. She says: “We wanted to explore opportunities and promote our service to new audiences in the geothermal sector. The whole experience was really useful.
I was able to discuss the latest developments in the industry worldwide and it was great to be able to talk to representatives of so many companies and organisations under one roof.
We got several promising leads from the event, from South America, USA and Europe, which we are now following up. We are really appreciative of the support we got from UKTI, without which we would not have been able to attend the event.’
The fifth business to take part in the trade mission was altcom Ltd.
The directors and staff of altcom Ltd have a leading edge background in the geophysics industry, having worked together on a multi-million pound geothermal research project. At altcom, they have now fused their world-class expertise in geophysics with their strengths in software development, creating a unique global business that provides ICT consultancy and software to clients in the oil and gas industries worldwide.
Director John Cowles says: “Cornwall has been one of the global innovators in the emerging industry of geothermal and it is great to have the opportunity to take the story out to the world and showcase what we can offer.
“The whole trade mission was a great success. If no other proof of the quality of the work put in were needed, the stand itself was voted “best in show” by delegates and fellow exhibitors.
We have received a number of excellent leads from the show, including one from a large US research organisation For us, it makes sense to spread our risk to international market fluctuations by trading in a wide range of markets and this Expo has enabled us to reach out to new customers we would not otherwise have found.”
Stephen Beldon, UKTI Trade Advisor, who organised the trade mission says: ‘The trip was a huge success. These five Cornish businesses have helped raise awareness of what Cornwall can bring to the geothermal industry and has already led to significant new overseas trade for the businesses themselves. It shows how much can be achieved when we all work together in partnership.”