Subsea cable suppler JDR has begun construction on a new factory near Blyth, Northumberland, which will be operational by 2024.
The £130 million, 69,000m2 factory has been supported by the government as part of the BEIS Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support Scheme.
The company says this will be the first factory in the UK capable of full start-to-finish manufacturing of high voltage subsea cables for offshore wind farms, by including a catenary continuous vulcanisation (CCV) line.
Tomasz Nowak, Chief Executive Officer at JDR said: “We’re delighted to be starting construction, it’s taken a lot of hard work from all stakeholders for spades to finally hit the ground today! It’s a significant moment for the North East too, as projects like ours will provide more local jobs and opportunities for the people of Cambois, Bedlington and the surrounding area. This region and the east coast of the UK has plans to connect an incredible amount of energy infrastructure in the coming years and we’re proud to be contributing to it in the midst of a growing offshore energy sector.
This is the first phase of our development in Cambois, but we’ll continue to move with confidence and pace.”