With the official opening of Siemens blade factory in Hull set to take place today, DONG Energy informed that the first blades manufactured at the factory will be used at its Race Bank offshore wind farm.
Brent Cheshire , DONG Energy’s UK Country Chairman, said: “DONG Energy is absolutely committed to investing in the UK so I’m delighted we will be the first company to use Siemens blades manufactured right here in Hull. The opening of this Siemens blade factory is another positive step forward for the UK supply chain.”
Approximately two thirds (around 180) of the blades at Race Bank will come from the Siemens facility in Hull. The installation of the blades and the rest of the turbines is on track to start up in summer 2017. The wind farm is expected to be fully operational in 2018.
“Race Bank is a significant project capable of powering over half a million homes a year and is being constructed from our base in Grimsby. To have blades manufactured down the road in Hull really underlines the great success story of offshore wind in this country,” Cheshire said.
The 580MW offshore wind farm, which will consist of 91 Siemens 6MW turbines, is located off the North Norfolk coast and is being built out of DONG Energy’s construction base in the Grimsby Fish Docks.