GE Renewable Energy has secured planning approval for its Teesside offshore wind blade manufacturing plant in north-east England.
The decision by local planning authorities paves the way for construction at the South Bank of Teesworks to begin later this year once final contractual documents are completed, the US manufacturer said.
GE business LM Wind Power will operate the facility which will be dedicated to the production of its 107-meter- long offshore wind turbine blades, a key component of GE’s Haliade-X.
Recruitment for the plant is scheduled to begin in mid-2022, with an estimated 750 direct positions to be filled. An additional 1500 indirect jobs would be created to support the entire supply chain around the factory, according to GE.
Olivier Fontan, LM chief executive, said: “We are delighted to have received this important approval from the Local Planning Authorities and are thankful for the collaboration between all parties involved, including Teesworks and the South Tees Development Corporation. “There is still a lot of work in front of us but this an important milestone for the construction and future opening of the facility. We are proud of the contribution we will be making in rejuvenating this industrial cluster and helping it play a key role in future of renewable energy.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen added: “It’s fantastic news that this mammoth project has passed the planning hurdle and is on course to be up and running by 2023, helping to create thousands of well-paid, good-quality jobs for people across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”
When production starts, the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm would benefit directly from the blades produced at this new plant. The three phases of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, powered by GE’s Haliade-X offshore wind turbine, will have a combined installed generation capacity of 3.6GW, enough to power six million UK homes.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, Steve Wilson, said: “This important milestone brings us a step closer to the installation of UK-manufactured turbine blades on the world’s largest offshore wind farm.”