The announcement comes a week after the designation of Teesdale as one of the UK’s newest freeports, according to Riviera Maritime.
A freeport is usually located around a shipping port or airport. Goods coming into a freeport are not subject to tariffs that are normally paid to the government. These taxes are only paid if goods leave the freeport and are shipped elsewhere in the UK, according to the BBC.
Teesdale is just one of eight new freeports that will begin operations in late 2021. The move is expected to help revitalize areas suffering from economic deprivation. Each one can be up to 45 kilometers (27 miles) across. The blade factory is expected to create up to 750 direct and up to 1,500 indirect jobs in Teesdale.
Responding to the announcement, RenewableUK chief executive Hugh McNeal said, “GE Renewable Energy’s new blade manufacturing plant will transform a former steelworks on Teesside into a high-tech clean energy powerhouse, creating thousands of highly-skilled jobs in our UK supply chain.”
Jerôme Pécresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy said “This new plant will contribute to the development of an industrial cluster dedicated to offshore wind in the North East of England.”
“We are delighted to announce such a commitment for the renewable energy industry, we believe it will help develop a strong talent pool through the hiring and more importantly training of future colleagues. The UK’s target to commission 40 GW of offshore wind by 2030 is ambitious and requires that we invest in local production capabilities to accompany this effort.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm
The Dogger Bank Wind Farms project off the UK’s Yorkshire Coast is the world’s largest wind farm and is set to start generating electricity in 2023. Dogger bank will also have the world’s largest wind turbines,
In September 2020, a contract was signed that covers 190 Haliade-X 13-MW turbines, split evenly at 95 turbines each between Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, the first two phases of the project.
Haliade-X 13MW is an enhanced version of the successful 12-MW prototype unit which has been generating power in Rotterdam since November 2019 and recently secured its provisional type certificate from DNV.
Dogger Bank is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about 100 kilometers (62 miles) off the east coast of England. During the last Ice Age, when seas were shallower than they are now, the bank was part of a large landmass connecting Europe and the British Isles, now known as Doggerland.
