Wind of change for the Humber region

Published:  11 August, 2021

The UK continues to significantly boost its world-leading offshore wind manufacturing industry, with over 1,340 jobs created and protected across the Humber region thanks to £266 million of UK government and private sector investment, the Government  announced on Monday 9 August.

Offshore wind manufacturers Siemens Gamesa and GRI Renewable Industries will receive grant funding from the Government’s £160 million Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support scheme, announced as part of the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan, to further develop manufacturing facilities in the Humber region. Both companies will be supplying essential components to offshore wind farms providing clean power across the UK – as well as for export around the world.

The investment will be a huge boost for the Humber region, helping to revitalise this industrial heartland, bring in vital investment and job opportunities for the area and level up the rest of the UK, all whilst support the UK’s commitment to eradicating its contributions to climate change.

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

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

This follows the announcement over £180 million of private sector investment from offshore wind manufacturers in the Humber and in Newcastle-upon-Tyne last month, and another £95 million from Government to create two new offshore wind ports on the Humber and on Teesside earlier this year – building the UK’s offshore wind capacity for clean electricity 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 investment into developing the next generation of wind turbines set to create new jobs, export opportunities and clean power across the country.

“With less than a hundred days to go until the climate summit COP26, we need to see more countries embracing new technologies, building green industries and phasing out coal power for a sustainable future.”

Business & Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

“With its close proximity to some of the world’s largest offshore wind farms and strong skills base, the Humber region is vitally important for the growth of the British 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 heartland, creating and supporting thousands of good quality jobs across the region while ensuring it is on the frontline of developing the next generation of offshore wind turbines.”

The Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support scheme 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 investment in the offshore wind supply chain. It provides grant funding for major investments in the manufacture of strategically important offshore wind components, from turbine blades to subsea cables.

Minister for Investment Gerry Grimstone said:

“The UK is a world leader in offshore wind and these investments are further evidence of the confidence foreign investors have in both 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 investment and will be a platform to drive further investment into exciting industries of the future.”

Today’s announcement continues to deliver on the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution and meeting his target of quadrupling the UK’s offshore wind capacity to produce 40GW of energy from offshore wind by 2030 – enough to power every home in the country.

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

CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit Marc Becker said:

“Since our offshore blade factory opened in Hull in 2016, Siemens Gamesa has proudly served as the catalyst for the powerful growth the area has seen. The rapid development of the offshore wind industry – and continued, strong, long-term support provided by the UK government for offshore wind – has enabled us to power ahead with confidence when making these plans. We’re committed to unlocking the potential of wind energy around the globe, with solutions from Hull playing a vital role.

“Siemens Gamesa continues to be the leading supplier of offshore wind turbine technology in the world’s leading offshore wind market, the UK. Through safe, efficient, and reliable manufacturing, over 1,500 blades from Hull have been delivered to customers worldwide. We’re very much looking forward to adding to this capacity in the future.”

Chairman & CEO GRI Jon Riberas said:

“We are proud to participate in this major project to power British homes and communities with wind energy towards sustainability and carbon neutrality. This project will create a worldwide leader in the offshore sector in a market that is increasingly demanding and constantly evolving.”

This investment swiftly follows an announcement made in early July when the UK Government announced over £180 million of private sector investment for offshore wind manufacturers SeAH Wind Ltd and Smulders Projects UK who will build facilities located on the Humber and at Wallsend in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, creating and safeguarding more than 1,000 jobs.

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

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

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