Siemens to create 1,000 new offshore energy jobs on Humber Enterprise Zone

Posted on 25 March 2014 · Posted in News

1,000 highly skilled jobs are to be created at Green Port Hull, part of the Humber Enterprise Zone.

Today, Siemens has announced its decision to invest £160 million (EUR190m) in wind turbine production and installation facilities in Yorkshire. The revised plan will be spread across two sites comprising the previously announced Green Port Hull project construction, assembly and service facility and a new rotor blade manufacturing facility in nearby Paull, in East Riding.  Siemens is investing £160 million across the two locations and its port partner Associated British Ports (ABP) is investing a further £150 million in the Green Port Hull development. The investment will provide a huge boost to the UK’s offshore wind industry and the Humber region. The combined investments of £310 million will create up to 1,000 jobs directly, with additional jobs during construction and indirectly in the supply chain.

It is the first manufacturing plant of its kind for Siemens next generation blade technology (IntegralBlade®) designed for Siemens SWT-6.0-154 6 megawatt (MW) wind turbine. This is leading edge technology – each rotor blade is 75 metres long and when rotating covers an area the size of two and two and a half football pitches.

Green Port Hull is planned to be operational to meet Round 3 requirements in early 2016. The start of production at the blade factory is scheduled to be in the middle of 2016 with full production levels reached from mid 2017 onwards.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“This is a massive vote of confidence in our long-term economic plan. 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.”

The news is another major boost for the Enterprise Zones programme, following last week’s announcement that financial incentives for businesses locating on Zones would be extended as part of the Budget.