The UK continues to significantly boost its leading offshore wind power manufacturing industry, with more than 1,340 jobs created and protected in the Humber region thanks to £ 266million in UK government investment and the private sector, the government announced today (Monday, August 9).

Offshore windmakers Siemens Gamesa and GRI Renewable Industries to receive a grant from the £ 160million government offshore windmaking investment support program announced as part of the Prime Minister’s ten-point plan , aimed at further expanding manufacturing facilities in the Humber area. Both companies will supply essential components to offshore wind farms delivering clean energy across the UK – as well as for export around the world.

The investment will be a huge boost for the Humber region, helping to revitalize this industrial heart, generate vital investment and employment opportunities for the region and improve the rest of the UK, while supporting the UK commitment to end its climate contributions. change.

Siemens Gamesa will invest a total of £ 186 million to expand its blade manufacturing site near Hull, creating and maintaining up to 1,080 direct jobs. With this investment, the company will be able to manufacture the next generation of offshore wind turbines and blades over 100 meters.

In addition, GRI Renewable Industries is the second company confirmed to build facilities at Able Marine Energy Park, Hull, with a £ 78million investment in an offshore wind tower plant, creating up to 260 direct jobs. .

This follows the announcement of more than £ 180million in private sector investment from offshore windmakers in the Humber and Newcastle-upon-Tyne last month, and an additional £ 95million from the government to create two new offshore wind ports on the Humber and Teesside earlier this year – building the UK’s offshore wind capacity for clean power generation as dirty coal power is phased out.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

The Humber region embodies the UK’s green industrial revolution, with new investments in the development of the next generation of wind turbines aimed at creating new jobs, export opportunities and clean energy across the country .

With less than one hundred days of the COP26 climate summit, we must see more countries embracing new technologies, building green industries and phasing out coal-fired energy for a sustainable future.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

With its proximity to some of the largest offshore wind farms in the world and its strong skills base, the Humber region is vitally important to the growth of the UK offshore wind industry and is at the heart of our green recovery. .

Our announcement, backed by private investment, will give a boost to this important industrial heart, creating and supporting thousands of quality jobs in the region while ensuring that it is at the forefront of the development of the next generation of workers. offshore wind turbines.

The offshore wind investment support program was announced by the Prime Minister last year as part of his ten-point plan to build factories that will develop components for next-generation wind turbines. It is designed to support the delivery of manufacturing investments in the offshore wind supply chain. It provides grants for major investments in the manufacture of strategically important offshore wind components, from turbine blades to submarine cables.

Investment Minister Gerry Grimstone said:

The UK is a world leader in offshore wind and these investments are further proof of the confidence foreign investors have in the sector and in the UK economy.

Our Global Investment Summit later this year will show how the UK can shape the future of green investing and will be a platform to boost investment in exciting industries of the future.

Today’s announcement continues to deliver on the Prime Minister’s ten-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and achieve its goal of quadrupling the UK’s offshore wind capacity to produce 40 GW of offshore wind energy from ‘by 2030, enough to power every household in the country.

This continues to lay the groundwork for UK businesses and workers to take full advantage of the booming offshore market in the UK and abroad, support up to 60,000 jobs in the industry and help eliminate the contribution of the UK. UK to carbon emissions by 2050.

Siemens Gamesa Offshore CEO Marc Becker said:

Since opening our offshore blade factory in Hull in 2016, Siemens Gamesa has proudly served as a catalyst for the strong growth the region has experienced. The rapid development of the offshore wind industry – and the continued, strong and long-term support provided by the UK government for offshore wind – have allowed us to move forward with confidence in shaping these plans. We are committed to unlocking the potential of wind power around the world, with Hull solutions playing a critical role.

Siemens Gamesa continues to be the leading supplier of offshore wind technology to the world’s largest offshore wind market, the United Kingdom. Through safe, efficient and reliable manufacturing, more than 1,500 Hull blades have been delivered to customers around the world. We are very excited to add to the env. 1.4 GW of clean energy capacity that these blades help deliver in our direct drive offshore wind turbines.

GRI CEO Jon Riberas said:

We are proud to be part of this major project to power UK homes and communities with wind energy towards sustainability and carbon neutrality. This project will create a world leader in the offshore sector in an increasingly demanding and constantly evolving market.

The investment quickly follows an announcement made in early July when the UK government announced more than £ 180million in private sector investment for offshore windmakers SeAH Wind Ltd and Smulders Projects UK which will build facilities located on the Humber and Wallsend in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, creating and protecting over 1,000 jobs.

In March of this year, the government also announced an investment of up to £ 95million to establish 2 new ports on the Humber and Teesside to enable manufacturers to build the next generation of offshore wind projects.

Together, these new ports will have the capacity to accommodate up to 7 manufacturers to support the development of next-generation offshore wind projects, significantly strengthening the UK’s offshore wind manufacturing base while directly creating around 3,000 new ones. jobs each.

In addition, US energy giant GE Renewable Energy announced an investment in a new offshore wind turbine blade manufacturing plant, the first investment in Teesside. This brand new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will directly create around 750 jobs in the region to power the Dogger Bank wind farm project.

Notes to Editors

• the funding is part of £ 160million announced by the Prime Minister last year to further develop UK offshore wind capacity
• finalization of detailed agreements and grant amounts will only follow a satisfactory due diligence phase