The UK Government has announced the investment of $132m (£95m) in the construction of two offshore wind ports.
The government has allocated $104m (£75m) to the Able Marine Energy Park on the south bank of the River Humber, and $27m (£20m) to the Teesworks Offshore Manufacturing Centre, located on the River Tees. The ports will then accommodate up to seven manufacturers.
GE Renewable Energy has been confirmed as the first offshore wind manufacturer to invest in the Teesside port.
The company will construct an offshore wind blade manufacturing factory at the site. This will account for 750 of the 3,000 jobs produced by the Teesside port. The government estimates these will support approximately 1,500 indirect jobs in the area.
Commencing production in 2023, the blade factory will supply the Dogger Bank wind farm, located off the North East coast.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “During the industrial revolution over 200 years ago, wind powered the sails of ships from the Humber and Teesside trading goods around the world.
“Now the Humber and Teesside will put the wind in the sails of our new green industrial revolution, building the next generation of offshore wind turbines whilst creating 6,000 new green jobs in the process.
“Our multi-million-pound investment in these historic coastal communities is a major step towards producing the clean, cheap energy we need to power our homes and economy without damaging the environment.”
The UK Government intends the investment to create 6,000 jobs in the North of England. Construction works to upgrade the ports’ infrastructure will begin later this year.
The funding will come as part of an investment announced in October 2020. This $223m (£160m) investment from the UK government aims to upgrade port infrastructure and support manufacturing. This investment will also support the development of offshore wind projects.
Once complete, the ports will support the development of offshore wind projects up to a capacity of 9GW annually. Energy generation from these will power approximately eight million homes.
