Offshore wind industry gains boost from new Siemens farm factory

German manufacturing company Siemens is investing £160m in wind turbine production and installation facilities in the UK, opening up 1,000 new job opportunities.

Investment doubled

Originally, Siemens had planned to invest just £80m on one site but has since decided to revise its plans and double the investment.  Its work will be spread across two sites: Green Port Hull, which will contain a construction, assembly and service facility, and also a new rotor blade manufacturing plant in Paull, East Riding.

Siemens’ investment of £160m will be joined by its port partner Associated British Ports who will put forward another £150m in the Green Port Hull development.  Siemens has said that it will be the first manufacturing plant of its kind for next generation blade technology designed for wind turbines, constructing rotor blades 75 metres long which would cover an area the size of two and a half football pitches once rotating.

Offshore Wind a reliable market

Michael Suess, a member of the managing board of Siemens, said: “Our decision to construct a production facility for offshore wind turbines in England is part of our global strategy. We invest in markets with reliable conditions that can ensure that factories can work to capacity.”

Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the deal and called it “a massive vote of confidence in our long-term economic plan” and added that “this investment is going to create lots of new jobs and opportunities, meaning more financial security and peace of mind for families and a more resilient economy for our country.”

Construction at the site begins in Autumn 2014 with works completed by the start of 2017.  It is anticipated that both sites will be fully operational by the middle of 2017.

For more information, help or advice please contact Andrew Davison on 0191 211 7950.