Nearly 20 companies representing the East coast's energy sector are this week flying the flag for Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft at Europe's biggest offshore exhibition.

On the 50th anniversary of gas being discovered in the Southern North Sea, industry leaders have travelled to the Offshore Europe event in Aberdeen to send a positive message that the region is ready for the next chapters in decommissioning and offshore renewables.

The businesses are showcasing the region's potential on an East of England Energy Zone (Eeez) stand hosted by Great Yarmouth borough and Lowestoft district councils.

Eeez director James Gray said the East of England energy industry was 'renowned as ambitious, innovative, robust and flexible with a competitive cost-base'.

He said: 'The heritage of 50 years of gas in the East of England and the experience that has given to the supply chain is recognised by the continued investment this year, bringing new jobs, business and confidence.

'As well as the half-century of skills, we have the land, deepwater ports and ideal geography, which position the East of England at the forefront of the offshore energy sector. We are ready to welcome more new investors – and that is what we are telling the industry in Aberdeen.'

To provide space for the sector to grow further and create jobs, Yarmouth Borough Council was continuing to build office and industrial units for sale and rent in the Enterprise Zone on Beacon Park, and to work with partners to invest in and support key infrastructure improvements.

Great Yarmouth's Outer Harbour was poised to play an important role in decommissioning work after the announcement by Veolia-Peterson that it would be the location for a purpose-built £1m facility; Yarmouth would also be the base for construction and maintenance activity for the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm.

Offshore Europe is a four-day event running until Friday. It attracts a global audience of engineers, technical specialists, industry leaders and experts.

Companies on the EEEZ stand include Softstart (UK), Blaze Manufacturing Solutions, Site Lite, Flowstar, Applied Acoustic Engineering Limited, Bartech Marine, IVB, ODE, Eastport UK, Subsea Technology & Rentals (STR), ENG-CAD Engineering Services, HRG Energy & Marine, API Technologies Corp, Eye for Business, Cargostore International Ltd, Round House, Decksafe and API Holdings.