Major coup for the British wind industry following manufacturing announcement
Published: 01 April, 2014
Siemens will build wind turbine production and installation facilities at two sites in Yorkshire (UK), investing £160 million, it was recently announced.
RenewableUK’s chief executive Maria McCaffery commented: “This is a major coup for the British wind industry – it’s the green-collar jobs game-changer that we’ve been waiting for. Attracting a major international company like Siemens to the UK, creating 1,000 jobs manufacturing turbines at two sites in Yorkshire, proves that we can bring the industrial benefits of offshore wind to Britain. This is just the start – where Siemens are leading, a cascade of others will follow – and we’ll see very significant growth in the UK supply chain.”
She added: “The British offshore wind industry already employs more than 12,800 people in direct and indirect jobs. Our research shows that within the next ten years, that number could rise to as many as 44,000 jobs. By 2030, the UK offshore wind sector will need dozens of factories making innovative, hi-tech blades, turbine towers, cables and offshore substations. This is a massive economic growth area for UK plc – a clean energy industry for the future.”
RenewableUK chairman Julian Brown, who also chairs Norstec, an industry partnership promoting the opportunities for offshore renewables in the Northern seas said: “I am absolutely delighted at the news that Siemens has confirmed its investment in a UK manufacturing facility. Siemens has demonstrated real leadership by example in making this investment and others are sure to follow.
Offshore Wind is set to play a major role in the UK electricity generating portfolio and brings the additional benefits of security of supply and major economic benefit to UK. The Siemens investment reinforces this message and in particular the development of the Humber Estuary as a major cluster of offshore wind activity”.
The UK has 22 offshore wind farms currently operational, 5 under construction, 9 with planning consent and 9 awaiting approval. We’ve installed 3653MW (megawatts) of wind energy in UK waters - enough to power more than two and a half million homes. A further 14,763MW is in the pipeline – more than four times the capacity we have now.
The two Siemens sites at Green Port Hull and nearby Paull in the East Riding of Yorkshire are due to be operational in 2016. Construction work will begin this autumn.
