The Rt Hon Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, joined Siemens executives Michael Hannibal and Juergen Maier to mark ground-breaking in Hull today.
Please note this release has been superseded by a new release: 03.06.2015 - Planning consent granted for Siemens’ Hull wind turbine blade factory and associated facilities
The Rt Hon Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, today (22 January) joined Siemens global executives to mark ground-breaking on wind turbine manufacturing and assembly facilities in Hull.
Mr Davey visited Hull’s Alexandra Dock to celebrate the beginning of construction on the site where Siemens will operate blade manufacturing, assembly and servicing facilities. With its partner, Associated British Ports, Siemens is investing £310m in the development. The Siemens facilities will create 1,000 direct jobs and many more during the construction phase and in the supply chain.
The Secretary of State and Siemens executives were also joined by leaders from the European renewables industry to record an important milestone in the Hull project, at today’s event which had the theme “Engineering The Future”.
As work begins at Alexandra Dock it was announced that the first wind farm that would benefit from Hull is Dudgeon, off the Norfolk coast, which it is planned, will be able to use the facility and quayside for part of its installation. Siemens has been selected as the supplier to Dudgeon, which is owned by Norwegian energy companies Statoil and Statkraft and Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, Masdar, and is operated by Statoil.
The first wind farm that will benefit from Hull is Dudgeon, off the Norfolk coast, which it is planned, will be able to use the facility and quayside for part of its installation of 67 Siemens 6MW offshore wind turbines.
The Dudgeon wind farm will comprise 67 of Siemens’ 6 MW offshore wind turbines, which have the world’s longest blade in commercial operation, at 75 metres in length. With an overall capacity of 402 MW Dudgeon will provide clean power to more than 410,000 UK households.
Michael Hannibal, CEO Offshore of the Siemens Wind Power and Renewables Division said:
“The start of construction on the Hull site is a landmark in the development of what will be world-class offshore wind manufacturing and assembly facilities.
“We are delighted the Secretary of State has joined us today to mark this occasion and that we have been joined by partners and customers who are driving forward the offshore wind industry in the UK and Europe. We are also pleased to be able to announce so far in advance the destination of the first turbines to be shipped from Hull.
“The UK offshore wind market has seen strong growth, with even greater future potential. By 2020 14 gigawatts of wind power capacity is to be installed in UK waters, to achieve environmental objectives and security of power supply. Our Hull facilities will contribute significantly to the growth of the offshore wind industry in the UK and to the shared objective of Siemens, the industry and the Government of driving down the costs of renewable energy.”
Mr Davey said:
“The work started here in Hull is thanks to Siemens, its partners and the Government working closely together to invest in UK offshore wind for the long term. The £310 million investment will benefit the UK economy by creating green jobs and growth as well as providing secure, sustainable and low-carbon energy. The development will also help to drive down the costs of offshore wind. It marks the beginning of a new industry based here and exporting worldwide.”
ABP has appointed the GRAHAM Lagan Construction Group Joint Venture to develop the Alexandra Dock site for the Siemens facilities and significant enabling work has now begun. Work to be carried out by the joint venture contractors will include building three new berths and a roll-on, roll-off ramp.
Dependent on planning consent, construction of buildings for the blade manufacturing and wind turbine assembly facilities is due to begin in summer 2015, with production of the first blades scheduled for winter 2016. Siemens has already begun hiring for jobs based in Hull, with recruitment continuing through 2015 and 2016.
Siemens is a significant UK employer with 13,760 employees, including around 2,000 employees in its renewable businesses.
Find out more about the Hull project by visiting www.siemens.co.uk/hull
Finbarr Dowling, Project Director - Hull, introduces the location of Siemens blade manufacturing and wind turbine assembly facilities:
-ENDS-
Contact for journalists:
Siemens plc
Anne Keogh,
Tel: 07808 823545
E-mail: anne.keogh@siemens.com
John Meehan, of Meehan Media & Comms (on behalf of Siemens plc)
Tel: 01482 223479
Mobile: 07803 199492
E-mail: john@meehanmedia.co.uk
For further information and press pictures, please see: www.siemens.co.uk/press
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About Siemens
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of combined cycle turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2014, which ended on September 30, 2014, Siemens generated revenue from continuing operations of €71.9 billion and net income of €5.5 billion. At the end of September 2014, the company had around 357,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
To find out more about Green Port Hull please see www.greenporthull.com
