Offshore wind milestone for ABP

This marks the start of hundreds of blades set to be produced for the offshore wind industry every day, leading to major environmental advantages.

Simon Bird of ABP, said: “The first turbine blade which we have seen manufactured at Siemens’ factory at Alexandra Dock is the symbol of two years of hard work and investment by Siemens, ABP and Hull City Council.

“In 2014, Alexandra Dock was simply a site with the potential to be a home to a world-class facility for wind power manufacturing. Fast forward to today, and with ABP’s £150m investment in this joint venture, the Siemens site is a thriving hub providing employment and economic benefits to Hull and the entire Humber region.”

The first turbine blade was unveiled at an event held at Alexandra Dock where the factory is located. In recent years, there has been a £310m investment into the site, including ABP’s contribution of £150m into developing the land into a world-class hub for offshore wind manufacturing, assembly and logistics.

The wind power factory at Alexandra Dock will manufacture turbine blades for Siemens’ 7MW and next-generation 8MW turbines. They will be among the first supplied to DONG Energy for the Race Bank wind farm.

The Alexandra Dock site is still being developed, with construction of a new harbour for pre-assembly and load out of wind turbine components continuing into 2017

“With this world-class facility coming fully into production, Hull will be firmly at the centre of a new industrial era as we embrace the opportunities of the low-carbon economy,” said Steve Brady, Hull City council leader.

He concluded: “Importantly, hundreds of local people will have high-quality employment within a company with a global reputation for manufacturing and technological excellence.”