2 minute read - 13th November 2024
Siemens Gamesa secures £1bn offshore wind turbine contract
The turbine blades for Scottish Power’s East Anglia TWO windfarm will be built in Hull after the green energy company formalised a turbine supply agreement with Siemens Gamesa worth more than £1bn.
The deal will see Siemens Gamesa supply blades for 64 turbines, which have a rotor diameter of 236 metres, almost as tall as the observation deck at The Shard. Situated around 33km off the Suffolk coast, the £4bn East Anglia TWO windfarm will have the capacity to generate up to 960MW of green electricity, enough to power the equivalent of nearly one million homes.
The 115 metre-long blades will be manufactured at Siemens Gamesa’s offshore wind blade factory in Hull, which now employs around 1,300 people after recruiting more than 600 new employees over the last 12 months.
The contract award comes after Scottish Power announced a doubling of its investment in the UK, from £12bn to £24bn, between 2024 and 2028.
Siemens Gamesa has secured a £1bn contract to produce turbine blades for a new offshore wind farm. The 115 metre-long blades will be manufactured at Siemens Gamesa’s offshore wind blade factory in Hull, which now employs around 1,300 people / Picture: Getty/iStock
Never miss the latest manufacturing news by signing up to our newsletter here
Darren Davidson, UK and Ireland vice president for Siemens Energy and Siemens Gamesa, said: “The UK is the first leading industrial country to simultaneously phase out coal power and be a leader in offshore wind. If we’re to achieve our net zero targets, it’s mission critical this momentum is maintained. As well as delivering the blades to power the UK’s energy transition, our factory in Hull is acting as a catalyst for economic growth and green jobs across the region.”
Keith Anderson, CEO of Scottish Power, added: “Today is tangible proof of the importance of Britain’s Clean Power Mission – our East Anglia projects are delivering UK jobs, UK supply chain contracts and UK green energy. Getting more projects like East Anglia TWO off the blocks quicker will turbo-boost the UK’s supply chain, giving companies like Siemens Gamesa the confidence to invest in facilities like this blade factory in Hull. Britain’s clean power targets are achievable but demanding. We’ve doubled our investment and are ready to play our part with government as it gets barriers out the way to build more projects like this, alongside the electricity networks needed to ferry green, homegrown power across the country.”
Siemens Gamesa is the fully-owned wind business of Siemens Energy, with more than 6,000 employees in the UK.
East Anglia is the heart of Scottish Power’s offshore wind operations in the UK, with East Anglia ONE in operation; East Anglia THREE under construction; and supply chain being put in place for East Anglia TWO. Collectively, these wind farms – all of them equipped with Siemens Gamesa turbines – will produce enough clean, green electricity to power the equivalent of more than three million homes.
