Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN) has halted its plan to build a GBP 50 million facility for the construction of jacket foundations for offshore wind turbines at Hadrian Yard in Wallsend.
The 36,000-square metre factory had been expected to be completed in 2014, following a GBP 4.5 million grant from the Regional Growth Fund, but OGN has decided to withdraw from the grant. However, the funds are still in the same place with the plan being halted, since the company came to a conclusion that it cannot use the money in the given timeframe.
OGN said that delays and uncertainty in the UK’s offshore wind sector have influenced the decision to freeze the construction of the facility that could have created more than 700 direct and 300 indirect jobs for highly skilled workers.
Offshore WIND Staff; Image: OGN