The Government has been calling on industry to come up with cleaner means of power generation and now a major company has announce it is to make a major investment in this area. More than 1,000 jobs are set to be created in the Hull area after Siemens announced that it is to invest more than £150 million into wind turbine production.
It is hoped that by introducing cleaner forms of power generations, the consumer will have more choice and that they will be offered cheaper alternatives than those currently available. There is also a push to introduce methods of power generation that are less damaging to the environment and prove to be more sustainable, so this recent news has been welcomed by environmental groups.
The plans were announced a while ago and have been in development for the last four years, however, the proposals have since been revised and there will now be two sites: the Green Port Hull project, which will cover construction and assembly, and a rotor blade manufacturing facility that will be based in east Riding.
Planning applications have already been submitted to the local council and construction is set to begin later in 2014. However, the site is not expected to be completed until 2017, when both sites are expected to be fully operational.
Commenting on the announcement, Energy Secretary Ed Davey said:
“This deal is excellent news for the people of Hull and the Humber, the UK, the wind industry, and our energy security. We are attracting investment by backing enterprise with better infrastructure and lower taxes. As well as helping to keep the lights on and putting more than 1,000 people in work, this deal means we will help to keep consumer bills down as we invest in home-grown green energy and reduce our reliance on foreign imports. This deal shows our strategy for offshore wind is working; bringing investment, green jobs and growth, and helping keep Britain the number one country in the world for offshore wind.”
Michael Suess, , who sits on the managing board at Siemens and AG, said that the announcement was part of the companies strategy and said that that the British Energy Policy had created a “favourable framework” that allowed for the expansion of wind energy.
Suess also commented that the offshore wind industry in the UK had shown high growth and that its future growth showed greater potential.