Yesterday, ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) and Siemens discussed contract opportunities on the £2bn East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm, to be built off the Norfolk and Suffolk coast.
East Anglia ONE project director Charlie Jordan spoke to an audience of over 300, which included local businesses and stakeholders, at an East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) event in Norwich.
ScottishPower Renewables said that, along with Siemens, it was keen to engage with businesses and stakeholders in the East Anglia region as quickly as possible to outline the skills both companies require and the business opportunities that will be created by the project. Opportunities will range from civil and electrical contractors, vessels and ports support, to technicians and logistics.
Charlie Jordan, ScottishPower Renewables project director for East Anglia ONE , said: “East Anglia ONE will create and support thousands of jobs and we want to do all that we can to source as many of these jobs as possible from the local area. We were very encouraged by the turnout today in Norwich, and we would like to thank EEEGR for their help in putting the event together.
“With East Anglia ONE and potential future projects in the wider East Anglia Zone, offshore wind power is set to play a major role in the economies of Norfolk and Suffolk for decades to come. Major infrastructure projects like ours require support during planning, construction and operations, so we need the expertise and support of a wide range of companies with a variety of skill sets.”
The East Anglia ONE project will see up to 102 Siemens’ turbines with a capacity of 7 megawatts (MW) installed. When completed, the project will be able to power around 500,000 homes. ScottishPower Renewables aims to start construction in 2017, with the first turbines installed by 2019 and the project fully operational during 2020.
East Anglia ONE aims to create up to 3,000 jobs in total, and at least 50% of all content will be sourced in the UK. The blades for the turbines will be manufactured at Siemens’ new £300 million factory in Hull.