Business leaders hail £310m Humber investment
THE huge investment by global manufacturing giant Siemens will bring an entirely new industry to the UK and be the catalyst for unprecedented investment across the Humber estuary, according to business leaders.
Yesterday, Siemens announced it would proceed with a previously announced turbine construction, assembly and service facility at Hull’s Alexandra Dock, plus a new rotor blade manufacturing facility at nearby Paull. The total investment by Siemens and landowner Associated British Ports is £310m and the facilities will create up to 1,000 jobs directly, with additional employment during construction and indirectly in the supply chain.
Chair of the East Yorkshire Bondholders marketing organisation, Peter Aarosin, said the announcement is bringing an entirely new industry to the UK and to this region.
“The Siemens plants will be the first manufacturing facilities of their kind in the country, producing and assembling turbines for the vast round three wind farms in the North Sea. This will ensure an industry in which the UK can be the global leader has one of the world’s biggest manufacturing operations on the banks of the Humber,” he said.
“This decision is a huge vote of confidence in the Humber by one of the world’s biggest, and most respected, companies. We can now expect these developments to move forward rapidly, with supply chain partners swinging in behind Siemens as an industrial super-cluster takes shape on the Humber.”
Charlie Spencer, chairman and owner of Hull-based specialist engineering business Spencer Group, which is at the forefront of green energy developments in the Humber region, said the go-ahead for Siemens wind turbine manufacturing operations would unleash “unprecedented investment” in the area.
He said: “This is not the start of the renewables revolution in the Humber region. Very significant investments have already been made and we are proud to have worked on some of those projects, but it is certainly the news we have all being waiting for.
“I would expect Siemens to now move forward rapidly to create what will be the first such facilities in the country and establish the Humber as the heart of an entirely new industry for the UK. It will be the catalyst for unprecedented investment across the Humber estuary.
“When a company as substantial and respected at Siemens says this is the right place for it to invest, everyone takes note. Siemens’ global partners in the offshore wind sector will want to join them here, creating an enormously powerful cluster of manufacturing and engineering expertise.
“Given that the UK offshore wind market has the potential to be the biggest in the world, the Humber can become a global leader in maritime renewables operations and expertise.”
Dominic Ward, senior partner at Andrew Jackson Solicitors and a World Trade Centre director said he believes the investment will enable the Humber to become a “major attraction for international companies”.
He said: “This really is hugely significant for the Hull and the Humber region. Clearly the Humber will become a major attraction for international companies and the WTC will be at the forefront in promoting the region around the world.
“The South Korean company CS Wind Corporation that is planning an operation at Paull is an immediate example of a business from Asia investing in the region. We will see a lot more interest and investment from overseas companies over the coming years.”
Dominic Brown, head of GROW:OffshoreWind – a national programme supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund committed to developing a vibrant SME offshore wind supply chain – said the announcement is further evidence that international companies are confident in our ability to deliver capacity and ‘green energy’.
“It sends out a global message that the UK is ready to lead the way in this field and will undoubtedly act as a catalyst for future investment opportunities…some of which are already at an advanced stage,” he said.
