Factory to make blades as part of £1bn deal

Apprentice Dane Glenn said the deal would help the Hull factory provide clean energy for the next generation

A Hull factory will supply wind turbine blades for Scottish Power in a contract worth more than £1bn.

Siemens Gamesa will manufacture the blades for 64 turbines, which will be installed at the East Anglia TWO windfarm off the Suffolk coast.

Darren Davidson, UK head of Siemens Energy and Siemens Gamesa, said the deal would allow the firm to plan for the long term in Hull and was a "real positive" for job security.

Charlie Jordan, chief executive of Scottish Power Renewables, said the £4bn windfarm would provide enough green energy to power more than a million homes.

The Hull factory employs about 1,300 people, having recruited more than 600 over the past 12 months.

Engineering apprentices Charlotte Harber, 18, and Dane Glenn, 21, are among young people building careers at the plant.

Mr Glenn said it meant "quite a lot” to be part of a team helping to provide clean energy for the country.

"It's providing for the next generation," he added.

Darren Davidson said Hull was helping to power the UK's green energy transition

Ms Harber said: "It's important for the future. It’s the biggest thing around."

The factory will manufacture 377ft (115m) blades for the windfarm, which will be built about 20 miles (about 32km) out to sea.

Mr Davidson described the deal as a "magnificent order" and said the factory was "acting as a catalyst for economic growth and green jobs across the region".

"We're really active in trying to get future orders so we can continue to support the growth in offshore wind and making that product here in Hull," he added.

The deal comes after Scottish Power announced plans to double its investment in the UK, from £12bn to £24bn, by 2028.

East Anglia TWO is one of three windfarms being developed by the company off the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk. When completed, it is expected they will provide enough green electricity to power the equivalent of more than three million homes.

Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Power, said: "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."

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