Serving the Teesside Business Community | 47
Aerial view - Artist’s impression
of the proposed wind facility.
Image supplied by Prism Planning.
WINDS
OF CHANGE
Thanks
- Ben
Houchen.
Wind facility could
create 600 jobs
Mayor’s thanks to
business leaders
A
massive multi-million-pound offshore
wind turbine facility that would create
hundreds of local jobs is “potentially
absolutely massive” for the region, says
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen.
Able UK has submitted plans to develop
a 72-hectare site on former SSI steelworks
land on the banks of the Tees – but Houchen
has issued a warning that any decision on
whether or not to go ahead with the move
could be pivotal for the UK’s offshore wind
sector.
The huge investment at South Bank
would deliver a vital boost to the Tees
economy and could deliver 600 jobs.
Houchen said: “It the project comes to
full fruition and we land phase two we’d
see upwards of 1,500 jobs created there by
around 2021-22.
“So it’s a truly great opportunity so we’re
naturally doing all we can to land it and
come to a deal. Of course, we have to make
sure any deal stacks up.
“I’m confident we can pull it off but we
need to ensure we’ve gone through due
diligence first.”
But he added: “If we land this deal
then Teesside will be the only place in
the UK that can deliver offshore wind
manufacturing of this magnitude.
“If it doesn’t happen, then it’s not only
disappointing for our region but for the
entire UK too because it will mean this
country won’t be involved in offshore wind
manufacturing anymore – it will be done in
Norway, the Netherlands or somewhere
else.”
Giant - the new site’s crane would dwarf the
Transporter Bridge. Image supplied by Prism
Planning.
The facility would combine assembly,
installation and servicing of offshore wind
turbines on one huge site, with giant
sections weighing 1,000 tonnes and more
arriving on the Tees for assembly before
being shipped out.
The frontage along the South Bank wharf
would run for almost a kilometre, while
a 156m-high crane – standing more than
twice the height of the Transporter Bridge –
would also be installed for the loading and
unloading of ships.
It is forecast that construction of the quay
and wider development would take two
years, with a peak workforce of a further
250 staff.
Able said the development would
be primarily used for the installation of
foundations and "topsides" for offshore wind
turbines – including handling the various
sections such as the base and blades.
If contracts are agreed, Houchen believes
construction could start before the end of
the year.
“It’s been a slog to get the project this
far but I’m proud that my office has driven
this,” he added. “If it happens, apart from
our success around the airport, it will be my
biggest achievement of the last two years.”
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen
has praised the influence of local
business leaders in helping to
bring the region’s airport into public
ownership.
Durham Tees Valley Airport
endured a torrid few years during
which passenger numbers dipped
alarmingly until the mayor achieved a
takeover that has resulted in Stobart
now operating the airport on behalf of
Tees Valley Combined Authority.
“The public were fantastic in
helping to persuade local council
leaders to back my airport plan,” said
Houchen. “Right from the start, the
vast majority of my support was from
the business community, as they
instinctively knew it was the right
thing to do for our region.
“It was incredibly powerful and
influential that many members of the
local business community wrote to
the council leaders to emphasise that
it was vital that a deal went through.
Without their support, it wouldn’t
have happened.
“Businesspeople, in particular, do
understand the importance of having
our own regional airport. International
investment doesn’t come on a bus
– it comes on a plane, so not having
our own airport would have been a
big barrier to succeeding as a region.”