Siemens has commissioned its £310m ($389m) wind turbine blade factory at the Green Port Hull in Yorkshire, UK, marking a major step towards strengthening the country’s offshore wind sector.
The site, which was redeveloped by Siemens and Associated British Ports, comprises a factory which will manufacture 7MW and next-generation 8MW offshore wind turbine blades as well as a dockside plant assembling turbine towers 82m tall.
The blades manufactured from the facility will be initially installed for DONG Energy’s Race Bank wind farm off the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coast.
RenewableUK said that the official opening of Siemens’ new offshore wind plant in Hull represents a major stride forward for Britain’s rapidly-expanding offshore wind sector.
Siemens UK CEO Juergen Maier said: “One of the greatest challenges we have is to increase productivity in the UK and generate growth while decarbonising our energy supply and reducing emissions to achieve a sustainable energy mix.
“Our new wind power blade factory in Hull is an important part of that journey and I hope it will be a catalyst for further significant investments by our suppliers, customers and the industry at large.”
Expected to create 1,000 jobs, the site is designed to help the UK achieve its renewable energy generation targets and reduce wind power costs.
UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark said: “In the coming years the new offshore wind projects that this factory will supply could generate enough clean electricity to power over three million homes and businesses – all with wind turbine blades produced by the dedicated and highly skilled Siemens workforce right here in Hull.”
Siemens plans to continue the development of the full Alexandra Dock site, including construction of a new harbor for pre-assembly and load out of wind turbine components throughout 2017.
The company said that the new manufacturing plant is part its efforts to establish offshore wind power as a key pillar of a sustainable energy mix in Europe.
Image: The Siemens’ turbine blade factory at the Green Port Hull in Yorkshire, UK. Photo: courtesy of Siemens.