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Stockton engineering firm secures £11m Hornsea One contract

Wilton Engineering, the Stockton-on-Tees engineering services business, is celebrating after the firm snared an £11m contract as part of the the largest offshore wind project in the UK.

The engineers have been awarded the contract to deliver 20 transition pieces for Steelwind, a German firm helping to deliver work related to the Hornsea One project currently being developed by Dong Energy.

Dubbed the largest offshore wind project in the UK, Hornsea One will ultimately deliver 174 7MW Siemens turbines across an area of 407 square kilometers positioned 120 kilometers off the coast of Yorkshire. Commissioning for the vast site is set to begin in 2020.

The contract win for Middlesbrough-based Wilton comes at a time of steady growth for the company, which is expected to create 60 more jobs to add to its current 91-strong team within the next 12 months.

To help seal the contract, Wilton were supported by a performance bond loan from the Tees Valley Catalyst Fund, a short-term finance fund that is managed by regional fund manager FW Capital.

Paul Booth, who is Chair of Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership described the contract win as ‘fantastic news’ for Wilton Engineering and for the economy of the Tees Valley as a whole.

He said: “Many established and ambitious Tees Valley businesses have the technical expertise to bid for large new contracts, but having to provide substantial financial guarantees can hinder that process.

“We set up the Tees Valley Catalyst Fund, under the management of FW Capital, to overcome that obstruction. The success of Wilton Engineering shows the importance of the Fund in helping to secure our position in export markets around the world.”

Wilton Managing Director, Bill Scott, hailed the role of FW Capital in helping to unlock the necessary funding which facilitated the contract win.

He added: “We are extremely pleased to secure capital bonding through FW Capital, which allows the company to take on further International business within the offshore wind industry.

“From our initial enquiry to completion the team at FW Capital were fully engaged, dedicating their expertise to our needs. The speed of response was great and I wish to thank the team for going beyond the call of duty to deliver a very successful outcome.”

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