Siemens Gamesa has won a £1 billion contract to build the turbine blades for ScottishPower’s East Anglia TWO offshore windfarm at its Hull factory.

Under the agreement, Siemens Gamesa will supply 64 of its flagship SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbines, which have a rotor diameter of 236 metres – almost as tall as the observation deck at the Shard – for ScottishPower’s third offshore wind project in the southern North Sea. The windfarm project is valued at £4 billion overall.

Situated almost 33km off the Suffolk coast, East Anglia TWO will have the capacity to generate up to 960MW of green electricity, enough to power the equivalent of almost 1 million homes.

The blades will be manufactured at Siemens Gamesa’s offshore wind blade factory in Hull, which now employs around 1,300 people after recruiting more than 600 new employees over the last 12 months.

The contract award comes just after ScottishPower announced it is doubling its investment in the UK – from £12 billion to £24 billion – between 2024 and 2028.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower will fire up our industrial heartlands and break down barriers to growth in our hard-working towns and cities. It will strengthen our national security - protecting our children and grandchildren from the climate crisis, and impact this will have on their future prosperity.”

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “This investment is a huge vote of confidence in the UK’s growing renewables sector and will power our clean energy future – supporting skilled jobs and green growth in Hull and beyond. Offshore wind is the backbone of our clean power 2030 mission; every new turbine in our waters helps us boost energy security, protect consumers, and tackle the climate crisis.”

Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower, said: “Today is tangible proof of the importance of Britain’s Clean Power Mission – our East Anglia projects are delivering UK jobs, UK supply chain contracts and UK green energy.”

“Getting more projects like East Anglia TWO off the blocks quicker will turbo-boost the UK’s supply chain, giving companies like Siemens Gamesa the confidence to invest in facilities like this blade factory in Hull.”

Siemens Gamesa is the fully owned wind business of Siemens Energy with more than 6,000 employees in the UK.

Darren Davidson, UK and Ireland Vice President for Siemens Energy and Siemens Gamesa, said: “The UK is the first leading industrial country to simultaneously phase out coal power and be a leader in offshore wind. If we’re to achieve our net zero targets, it’s mission critical this momentum is maintained. As well as delivering the blades to power the UK’s energy transition, our factory in Hull is acting as a catalyst for economic growth and green jobs across the region.”