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Siemens is to invest £160 million into a new wind turbine factory in Hull, doubling the amount previously planned.
The revised plan will be spread across two sites – the Green Port Hull project construction, assembly and service facility and a new rotor blade manufacturing facility in nearby Paull, in East Riding.
Associated British Ports, Siemens’s partner, will invest another £150 million on the Green Port Hull.
The combined investments of £310 million will create up to 1,000 jobs.
Siemens had been working on plans to invest £80m but said it had chosen to double its investment because of the UK’s wind-friendly policy framework.
The announcement today will come as a boost to the UK’soffshore wind industry following a number of project cancellations recently due to higher-than-expected costs.
Michael Suess, member of the managing board of Siemens AG and CEO of the Energy Sector, said: “Our decision to construct a production facility for offshore wind turbines in England is part of our global strategy: we invest in markets with reliable conditions that can ensure that factories can work to capacity.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey claimed the deal would help keep energy bills down for customers.
“We are attracting investment by backing enterprise with better infrastructure and lower taxes. As well as helping to keep the lights on and putting more than 1,000 people in work, this deal means we will help to keep consumer bills down as we invest in home-grown green energy and reduce our reliance on foreign imports,” he said.
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