The UK government will invest £95m ($132m) for the construction of two offshore wind ports to support the country’s offshore wind farm expansion.
Able Marine Energy Park on the south bank of the Humber river will receive up to £75m of the funding while £20m is going to the Teesworks site on the River Tees. Together the ports will have capacity to house up to seven manufacturers to support the development of next-generation offshore wind projects.
Offshore wind manufacturer GE Renewable Energy is the first to invest in Teesside and will build a wind blade factory at the site, which will supply to the Dogger Bank wind farm, set to be the largest offshore wind farm in the UK.
“Our multi-million-pound investment in these historic coastal communities is a major step towards producing the clean, cheap energy we need to power our homes and economy without damaging the environment,” said UK prime minister Boris Johnson.
“To ensure our businesses, supply chain and high-skilled workforce can fully share in the sector’s success, today’s investment in the Humber region and Teesside will put the UK in pole position to land new offshore wind investors,” said business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.
The UK government announced a plan last year to develop a huge swathe of new offshore wind farms over the next decade to power every home in the UK by 2030.
