HARTLEPOOL NEWS
Tees collaboration on huge wind farm project begins
Marshalling operations for wind turbine parts are under way at Able Seaton Port in Hartlepool for what will be Scotland ’ s biggest – and the world ’ s deepest – fixed bottom offshore wind farm .
SSE Renewables and joint-venture partner TotalEnergies announced that the installation of turbine foundations has commenced at the 1.1GW project site , 27km off the Angus coast .
It has now been revealed that the delivery of parts for the project ’ s Vestas V164-10.0 MW turbines , including blades , nacelles , and the supporting towers to Vestas ’ base in the North-East , is well under way .
Work to fit the turbine parts at the £ 3bn Seagreen project is expected to start in early 2022 and will run in tandem with the continuing campaign to fit the turbine foundations , also known as jackets .
Bookmarking the incredible life of ‘ Boycie ’
A Tees entrepreneur has teamed up with the wife of the late actor John Challis to create bespoke bookmarks to be sold to raise funds for John ’ s favourite charities this Christmas .
Stuart Coupland , founder of Hartlepool-based Coupland Leather , met Challis – famous for playing “ Boycie ” in Only Fools and Horses – at the 2021 Great Yorkshire Show .
After John ’ s death in September , Stuart hatched a plan with John ’ s publishers , Wigmore Books , to create Boycie bookmarks .
First power is expected in spring 2022 with the 114-turbine wind farm expected to be fully commissioned in the first quarter of 2023 .
Earlier this year , Vestas announced that 87 per cent of the V164 blades for the 1,075 MW Seagreen project would be manufactured in the UK .
Of the 114 blade sets to be installed at the Seagreen project , 99 blade sets , or 297 blades in total , are being produced domestically . Production for the Seagreen project is taking place at the company ’ s Isle of Wight facility .
Seagreen is Scotland ’ s largest renewable energy project . Once installed , it will provide around 5,000 GWh of renewable energy annually , supplying the energy needs of around 1.6m homes and saving around 1.6m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year .
Joining forces - Stuart Coupland ( right ) with the late TV star John Challis .
Sales will help three charities close to John ’ s heart , Cuan Wildlife Rescue , Tusk and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society .
New business riding wave of success
A young Tees company that is giving the region ’ s thriving subsea sector a local supply of cable harnesses and electrical systems for the first time , has secured orders from Mexico , France , Norway and Italy .
Wavecon , set up at the beginning of 2021 by Wayne Pullen and David Stout , secured a five-figure unsecured loan from UKSE , the Tata Steel businesssupport subsidiary , to help buy capital equipment .
The company specialises in the design and manufacture of cable harnesses and electrical and control system equipment for underwater RoVs and trenching vehicles used by offshore operators in the oil , gas , renewable and other sectors .
Partnership sees college weld Caterpillar careers
On-site recruitment agency Randstad ’ s partnership with Hartlepool College of Further Education is aiming to deliver more high-quality welders to Caterpillar UK .
The joined-up thinking of the three organisations is helping close the skills gaps , with another 10 trainees joining an existing batch of 20 already on the programme this month .
Learners , recruited by Randstad , are on a 10-week course at Hartlepool College , where welding bays have been tailored to meet Caterpillar ’ s standards .
After that , learners will be on Caterpillar ’ s Peterlee site as trainees for a year until becoming fully qualified . It is expected they will stay at Caterpillar beyond that .
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