GE Renewable Energy announced it plans to open a new giant blade manufacturing facility in Teesside, creating up to 750 direct renewable energy jobs at the Teesworks location and up to 1,500 indirect jobs in the area.
The Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm, located between 125 km and 290 km off the Yorkshire coast, would benefit directly from the blades produced at the new plant.
The three phases of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, powered by GE’s Haliade-X offshore wind turbine, will have a combined installed generation capacity of 3.6 GW, enough to power six million UK homes.
When complete in 2026, it will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
GE subsidiary LM Wind Power plans to set up and operate the plant, which will be dedicated to the production of its 107-meter- long offshore wind turbine blades, a key component of GE’s Haliade-X, the most powerful offshore wind turbine in operation today.
Terms of the construction and financing of the new plant are in advanced stages of negotiation between the interested parties.
The announcement supports the UK government’s plan to develop jobs, infrastructure, and supply chains to reach its goal to commission 40 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 and become a global leader in green energy.
As part of that plan, Teesside has been designated as one of the UK’s newest freeports.
Jerôme Pécresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy said: “This new plant will contribute to the development of an industrial cluster dedicated to offshore wind in the North East of England.
“We are delighted to announce such a commitment for the renewable energy industry, we believe it will help develop a strong talent pool through the hiring and more importantly training of future colleagues.
“The UK’s target to commission 40 GW of offshore wind by 2030 is ambitious and requires that we invest in local production capabilities to accompany this effort.”
Hugh McNeal, CEO of Renewable UK, said: “GE Renewable Energy’s new blade turbine manufacturing plant will transform a former steelworks site on Teesside into a high-tech clean energy powerhouse, creating thousands of highly-skilled jobs in our UK supply chain.
“This announcement marks the start of the next generation of offshore wind manufacturing.”