Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

Britains Leading Port Operator1 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

Siemens Logo1 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

It was announced on 13 December that the UK Ports Operator, Associated British Ports (ABP) and turbine manufacturer Siemens, have finalized agreement to construct a £210m turbine assembly plant at Hull, North East England. Outline plans were proposed in January 2010, but the firms confirmed they have submitted joint planning applications for their Green Port Hull facility on England’s North East coast, which will accommodate the storage, handling, assembly and testing of offshore wind turbine components.

Artist Impression Of Planned Facility2 4 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

Hull England1 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

Siemens intends to invest £80 million in the assembly plant, with ABP contributing £130 million to the overall development of the site.

Panorama Hull1 2 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

 

Panorama of Hull from the north bank of the River Humber with the Yorkshire Wolds rising behind the city.

The planning applications submitted by the two firms to Hull City Council are for the demolition of existing buildings at Alexandra Dock at Hull and the development of a factory, office and amenity facilities, plus a helicopter landing site. An additional joint application is being made for the erection of an operational wind turbine together with associated infrastructure.

 

The schedule is as follows:

    December 2011: submit planning applications

Mid 2012: consent and commercial contract to be secured

2012 – 2014: site construction

2014: open and operational

Dan Mc Grail1 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

Dan McGrail, Project Manager for Siemens, said: “We are very pleased that another significant milestone in the project has been achieved and we look forward to discussing plans further with the local community during the consultation process.  Both Siemens and ABP would like to thank Hull City Council and the local community for helping us reach today’s milestone and for their support.”

Mr McGrail said the factory would employ 700 people making the blades and turbine generating units, known as nacelles. Matt Jukes, ABP port manager for Hull and Goole, said he hoped the wider Green Port project would eventually create thousands of new jobs. It has been hailed by civic and business leaders as the most significant investment in the area for decades.

It is expected that a decision by Hull Council on whether to approve the scheme will be made by summer 2012.

Matt Jukes said: “Developing Green Port Hull for Siemens represents a once in a lifetime opportunity for both the Port of Hull and our city to take the leading role in the UK’s green energy revolution.  Our teams have put in a huge amount of work on the project over the last 12 months and I am exceedingly pleased that we’re now in a position to submit these applications which will see the complete transformation of Alexandra Dock, firmly position Hull as a centre of excellence for renewable energy and generate unparalleled opportunities for the city and region.”

 

Steven Bayes2 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

Councillor Steven Bayes, portfolio holder for economic regeneration and employment, Dan McGrail, Project Manager UK Offshore, Siemens Windpower and Matt Jukes, ABP Port Director Hull and Goole visit the site of the proposed Green Port Hull development.

Tuesday 13th December, 2011

 

 

Matt Jukes1 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

Matt Jukes, ABP Port Director Hull and Goole talks Vince Cable MP, UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills through the plans for Green Port Hull, earlier in 2011.

 

 

David Cameron1 Major Turbine Assembly Plant set for United Kingdom

The UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, is taking a great interest in the project. He says that Hull is set to become the “world’s leader” in wind turbine manufacturing and that it was a “new era” for the city.

 

Hull City council leader Carl Minns, said: “The council is already receiving phone calls on the back of this news from other parts of the industry saying they are interested in coming to Hull.” Mr Minns said that the council will do everything in its power to fast track the planning process to enable building work to begin.

Siemens is seen as the global leader in wind turbine manufacturing and other companies are keen to work closely with it on this project. The Hull plant should be the first in the world to make 6MW turbines – double the capacity of the current biggest. Thousands of these turbines will be transported to three offshore wind locations.

Employing around 400,000 people worldwide, Siemens is a major UK employer, with 16,000 people working across the country.

Providing more than 40% of the UK’s total wind power, Siemens has installed more than 1,000 turbines in the UK and is involved in 11 offshore wind turbine projects in the UK.

Siemens investment in the UK includes a £3million in a wind power training facility in Newcastle and launching the first ever wind power technician apprenticeship scheme.