Hundreds of jobs to be created as Port of Tyne selected for world's largest offshore wind farm

Plans have been announced to create hundreds of jobs as a North East port becomes the site for the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Port of Tyne, in South Shields, announced today that Equinor and SSE Renewables have chosen the North East port as the site of an operations and maintenance base (O&M), which will support the new wind farm, Dogger Bank.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be able to generate around 5 per cent of the UK’s electricity needs, which will provide enough renewable electricity for more than 4.5m UK homes.

The project is expected to generate more than 200 direct jobs in the region, as well as opportunities for companies at all levels of the supply chain.

The new multi-million pound O&M facility, which includes both office space and a warehouse, will be the onshore base for Equinor’s teams ensuring the operation of the wind farm.

The Dogger Bank Wind Farm is estimated to trigger a total capital investment of approximately £9bn between 2020 and 2026.

Secretary of state for business, Alok Sharma, commented: “This new facility is fantastic news for Tyneside and the North East of England.

“Renewable energy is one of the UK’s great success stories, providing over a third of our electricity and thousands of jobs.

“Projects like Dogger Bank will be a key part of ensuring a green and resilient economic recovery as well as reaching our target of net zero emissions by 2050.”

Stephen Bull, senior vice president for Equinor’s North Sea New Energy Solutions, and chair of Renewable UK, said: “The UK government has legislated to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

“Major scale renewable energy projects like Dogger Bank ensures Britain’s leadership as the #1 offshore wind nation.

“Moreover, the project brings new investment to the UK, at a challenging time for us all, and secures over 200 jobs in the region as well as new opportunities in a future-fit growth sector.

Paul Cooley, SSE Renewables director of capital projects, added: “The announcement today cements SSE Renewables’ and Equinor’s commitment to developing long term jobs and economic benefit in the UK and we are very pleased to welcome the Port of Tyne to the project.

“The Operations and Maintenance base will bring significant socio-economic benefits to the local area during construction and throughout the projects lifetime, as we have seen on our previous offshore wind projects including Beatrice.

“Dogger Bank will help drive the transition to a net zero future and we are continuing our work to construct the largest offshore wind farm in the world safely.”

Matt Beeton, CEO of the Port of Tyne, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been selected by Equinor and SSE Renewables as the port of choice to house the Operations and Maintenance base for the largest offshore wind farm in the world.

“This is clearly a very important milestone in attracting such leading names in offshore power generation to the Port but it’s also extremely important for the wider region in terms of local supply chain and employment opportunities.

“The Port recently launched its ‘Tyne 2050’ plan with a vision to become one of the most environmentally sustainable ports in the UK by 2030.

“Offshore wind is a key component of that strategy and this announcement is a huge step towards developing a cleaner future for the Port, the region and for industry in the North East.

“We’re very excited to start working with Equinor and SSE Renewables to make this base a success and we’re looking forward to playing our part in the world’s largest offshore wind farm.”

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