Energy company supports 17,900 jobs in region – report
CENTRICA’S UK activities support 17,900 jobs in Yorkshire and the Humber, according to a new report.
The analysis by global economics consultancy Oxford Economics quantified the direct impact that the energy group has in the region through its purchases from its supply chain located in the region and the induced impact due to spending by Centrica staff and suppliers’ employees.
Centrica is best known for its renewables activities in the region, with two offshore wind farms already in operation and another under construction.
All three sites are managed from Centrica Energy’s new operations and maintenance base in Grimsby, which opened last year as a major hub for the renewables business.
In total last year Centrica Group made a £1.3bn contribution to Yorkshire and the Humber GDP, equivalent to £1 in every £75 of the region’s GDP, and supported 17,900 jobs – equivalent to one in four jobs in North East Lincolnshire.
It purchased inputs of goods and services worth £610m and sourced from over 540 businesses located in Yorkshire and the Humber covering every local authority district in the region.
The report stated that Yorkshire and the Humber receives the fourth largest contribution to GDP from Centrica among the UK’s 12 nations and regions, and ranks fifth for the total jobs impact.
“As home to six of our power stations and wind farms, Yorkshire and the Humber has never been more important to us as a business,” said Simon Merriweather, managing director Centrica Energy Power Generation.
“The opening of the new operations and maintenance base in Grimsby last year was a huge step forward, providing us with a major centre for our renewables team, including those tasked with the challenge of bringing the new Lincs offshore wind farm up to full strength later this year.
“I’m delighted to see the very real impact that a business like ours can have supporting the growth of the local economy and employment opportunities.”
Lord Haskins, chairman of Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Centrica’s report not only underlines the Humber’s position as the UK’s energy estuary but also the knock on effect investments such as these have on the local economy, having sourced goods and services sourced from over 540 businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber.
“The Humber is a unique natural asset which can power the regional and national economies, Centrica is a great example of how businesses are playing a vital role in realising that potential.”
Centrica operations include the existing Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farms located 5km off the Lincolnshire coast which have a combined capacity of 194MW, capable of providing enough power to meet the annual demands of more than 130,000 homes.
Another wind farm is located 8km off the Lincolnshire coast and is currently under construction with full commissioning expected later this year. Once complete, the 270MW wind farm will be capable of producing power for 200,000 homes – equivalent to all the homes in Hull and North East Lincolnshire.
Centrica Energy owns and operates three gas-fired power stations in the region. Combined, the Glanford Brigg, Killingholme and South Humber Bank plants have a total capacity of 2191MW.
Centrica Storage owns and operates the UK’s largest gas storage facility, Rough, based off the Yorkshire Coast in the Southern North Sea.
The facility provides around 75% of the UK’s gas storage capacity and can meet up to 10% of peak day demand on a cold winter’s day, while Centrica Storage also operates the Easington onshore gas terminal in East Yorkshire where gas is processed before entering the National Transmission System, and has offices in Hedon outside Hull, and Easington in East Yorkshire.
