Reacting to the announcement by Siemens that it will build wind turbine production and installation facilities at two sites in Yorkshire, investing £160 million, RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Maria McCaffery said:
“This is a major coup for the British wind industry – it’s the green-collar jobs game-changer that we’ve been waiting for. Attracting a major international company like Siemens to the UK, creating 1,000 jobs manufacturing turbines at two sites in Yorkshire, proves that we can bring the industrial benefits of offshore wind to Britain. This is just the start – where Siemens are leading, a cascade of others will follow – and we’ll see very significant growth in the UK supply chain.
“The British offshore wind industry already employs more than 12,800 people in direct and indirect jobs. Our research shows that within the next ten years, that number could rise to as many as 44,000 jobs. By 2030, the UK offshore wind sector will need dozens of factories making innovative, hi-tech blades, turbine towers, cables and offshore substations. This is a massive economic growth area for UK plc – a clean energy industry for the future.
Major developments like today’s announcement from Siemens will help us to retain the UK’s global lead in offshore wind, as we already have more capacity installed than the rest of the world put together. The rest of the world is eyeing us enviously, wanting a slice of the action. Now we know that a substantial part of that action will be undertaken by British workers in a major industrial renaissance on British shores”.
The UK has 22 offshore wind farms currently operational, 5 under construction, 9 with planning consent and 9 awaiting approval.
The two Siemens sites at Green Port Hull and nearby Paull in the East Riding of Yorkshire are due to be operational in 2016. Construction work will begin this autumn.
Press release, March 25, 2014; Image: flickr