Wind turbine manufacturing giant Siemens Gamesa is investing £186m ($258m) in the expansion of its offshore blade factory in Hull, England to more than double the size of the manufacturing facilities. The expansion is planned to be completed in 2023.
Manufacturing of next-generation offshore wind turbine blades will be enabled at the largest offshore wind manufacturing facility in the UK. It will grow to 77,600 sq m and add 200 additional direct jobs to the approximately 1,000 person-workforce already in place.
“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,” said Marc Becker, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa offshore business unit.
Manufacturing of other offshore wind turbine blade types already in the Siemens Gamesa Hull factory pipeline will continue while the expansion is constructed. In total, Siemens Gamesa has an offshore wind power order backlog of €9.4bn ($11.05bn).
Meanwhile, GRI Renewable Industries is investing £78m ($108m) in an offshore wind turbine tower factory on the south bank of the Humber, creating up to 260 direct jobs.
The UK government is supporting the two companies with £160m ($222m) from the offshore wind manufacturing investment support scheme.
