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Offshore Wind Turbines Now In Teesside
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Tom Coyne
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Teesside is set to become the home of the world’s largest monopile factory. The £200m investment will create 750 direct jobs as well as 1500 more in the supply chain.
Monopiles, are the large steel tubes that act as the foundations for offshore wind turbines. The Korean manufacturer SeAH Wind has chosen a former Teesside steelwork as the site of the new factory, acting as a much-needed boost to the region.
The investment comes after the area was given “freeport” status late last year. The decision to make it a freeport has created an attractive tax regime for businesses, making investment in the region more business friendly.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen called SeAH Wind’s decision “a real coup” for investment in the area. “SeAH is an internationally recognised manufacturing company with an incredible reputation for quality and it’s a real coup that we’ve been able to secure their investment for Teesside.” He went on to say, “We’ve only secured these milestones by going further, faster and we’re working round the clock to get the jobs local people are crying out for on the site as soon as possible.”
SeAH Wind had previously hoped to build the monopile factory on the Humber at the Able Marine Energy Park.
SeAH Wind’s investment in the area comes as the UK government announces it wants to quadruple UK offshore wind turbines by 2030.
Helping ready the site’s development is a £107 million loan from the government-owned UK Infrastructure Bank. Construction of the factory is expected to begin in July, with the factory becoming fully operational in 2026. The factory will cover a vast site of 90 acres and manufacture around 150 monopiles each year.
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