Port bosses say Siemens' facilities will 'trigger a reaction' for the industry - and are great news following several setbacks for UK windfarms
Campaigners for Teesside’s offshore wind industry say suppliers are poised to benefit from the major new Siemens turbine facilities.
Teesside was considered as a possible site for the £310m factories, but lost out to East Yorkshire in 2011.
Port bosses say Siemens’ facilities, which will create 1,000 jobs and include UK’s first purpose-built turbine blades factory, will “trigger a reaction” for the industry - and are great news following several setbacks for UK windfarms,
Meanwhile, energy sector companies steering group, Energi Coast, says North-east companies that have the right products, skills and services can support Siemens operations.
Jerry Hopkinson PD Ports’ Managing Director Bulks, Ports & Logistics, said: “We are, as always, talking to a number of developers and we need to ensure we’ve got very active engagement now, as this will trigger a reaction within the industry.
“In recent months we’ve seen a whole series of projects either curtailed or canned completely.
“The Atlantic Array project on the West Coast was dropped, Triton Knoll was halved and Dogger Bank was reduced by 20pc.
“To see a major manufacturer like Siemens making an investment of this magnitude and establishing facilities in the UK will creates other opportunities. We will now start to get some momentum behind this industry.
“Both Siemens and EDF said they were impressed by the wealth of engineering expertise in this region during construction of the Tees bay wind farm.
“We tend to look at the big engineering companies, but there are smaller Teesside firms that got involved when some elements of the turbines didn’t quite fit.
“We have freely available brownfield land with port facilities and deep water access.
“We need to translate all of these opportunities into projects and be on the front foot, working with Tees Valley Unlimited.”
German-headquartered Siemens, which is the world’s largest engineering company, doubled its original £80m investment in the project.
In partnership with Associated British Ports (ABP), it will open two facilities in Hull and East Yorkshire for the manufacturing of the 75-metre rotor blades, assembly and services. Round Three, the next development round of UK offshore wind is underway.
Joanne Leng MBE, Deputy Chairman of Energi Coast, said the decision reaffirms the importance of the East Coast.
“Siemens endorsement of UK manufacturing could also offer opportunities to established suppliers, including those from the North-east, that have products, skills and services that can support Siemens operations.
“It should send a clear message to the operators that confidence in the British market is growing and it’s ready to support the construction of Round Three wind farms.”
And Billingham-based Able UK, which is building a major marine energy park on the Humber, described the plans as “a strong and positive message that the Humber will be a world-class centre for the renewable energy industries.”
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