Planning approved for Teesworks wind factory which is set to create over 2000 new jobs
Over 2,000 new renewable energy jobs are to be created on Teesside as plans have been approved to construct an offshore wind farm.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council have given the green light for the construction of the 76,200sq m facility, in the South Bank zone of the Teesworks site.
Once completed, the factory will generate:
LM Wind Power will operate the facility, which will be dedicated to the production of its 107-metre-long offshore wind turbine blades.
These are a key component of GE’s Haliade-X, the most powerful offshore wind turbine built today and used at Dogger Bank, the world’s largest wind farm, located just 80 miles off the North East coast.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It’s fantastic news that this mammoth project has passed the planning hurdle and is on course to be up and running by 2023.
"[It will help] to create thousands of well-paid, good-quality jobs for people across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool both directly and in our brilliant supply chain businesses."
Andrew Bellamy, LM Wind Power UK General Manager said: “We anticipate the vast majority of the roles in our factory to be filled by workers who will need to be trained on blade manufacturing techniques. These highly qualified operator roles are key to the success of the plant, and we are ready to leverage the knowledge and experience of our global LM Wind Power team.”
Construction of the site is due to begin later in 2021 for a 2023 completion.