New investments to be made by offshore wind foundation manufacturers SeAH Wind and Smulders, backed by the UK government, in their production facilities in the UK are set to create and safeguard more than 1,000 jobs across the North-East of England and the Humber.
The companies’ facilities on the Humber and at Wallsend in Newcastle-upon-Tyne will see more than GBP 180 million (around EUR 210 million) of private investment, on top of which each company will receive grant funding out of the Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support scheme, UK’s Business & Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced on 7 July.
SeAH Wind will receive funding towards a new GBP 117 million (around EUR 137 million) monopile foundation factory at the Able Marine Energy Park on the Humber, creating up to 750 direct jobs by 2030.
Smulders Projects UK will receive funding towards a GBP 70 million (around EUR 82 million) investment in new equipment and infrastructure to enable the manufacture of offshore wind turbine transition pieces at its existing site in Wallsend, Newcastle, creating and safeguarding up to 325 direct jobs.
The UK government said the investment would be a huge boost to local economies in the North-East and Humber, with more than 1,000 direct jobs and a similar number of indirect jobs being created and safeguarded, helping to revitalise UK industrial heartlands and bring in vital investment opportunities.
The Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support scheme is designed to support the delivery of manufacturing investment in the offshore wind supply chain. It provides grant funding for major investments in the manufacture of strategically important offshore wind components, from turbine blades to subsea cables.
Today’s funding follows the news from March, when the government announced up to GBP 95 million (around EUR 111 million) investment to establish two new ports on the Humber and on Teesside to enable manufacturers to build the next generation of offshore wind projects.
Together the new ports will have the capacity to house up to seven manufacturers to support the development of the next-generation offshore wind projects, substantially boosting the UK’s offshore wind manufacturing base while directly creating around 3,000 new jobs each, according to the government.
In March, GE Renewable Energy also announced an investment in a new offshore wind turbine blade manufacturing plant , the first investment on Teesside, which will directly create around 750 jobs in the area to supply the Dogger Bank Wind Farm project.