Teesside plans for offshore wind centre

It is working with local North East companies to launch Chain Reaction, the Teesside Renewable Energy Supply Chain Cluster.

‘We have an ideal port location in Hartlepool, which has the facilities, the skills and the infrastructure to support the requirements of the wind energy sector, said Paul Barker, PD Ports’ development director bulks, ports and logistics. ‘It has already attracted major manufacturers to the port and we want to continue to develop this community as a centre of excellence.’

Hartlepool’s location as the closest UK port to Dogger Bank (the Government’s largest designated offshore wind farm zone), its open access to the North Sea, and a workforce with experience and expertise in dealing with large and outsize cargo, gives the port significant advantages.

It already hosts JDR Cable Systems, a leading cable manufacturer for renewable energy projects, and Heerema Fabrication Group, which specialises in the engineering and fabrication of large and complex structures, mainly for the offshore oil & gas and energy industry.

JDR’s purpose-built, state-of-the-art, 100,000 sq ft facility, which incorporates two carousels to process the 2,200 tonne cables, is the only site in the UK designed specifically to manufacture subsea power cables for the oil and gas sector and the burgeoning offshore renewables market. The location at Hartlepool dock allows the cables to be spooled directly onto cable-laying vessels.

The company has signed a deal to expand its current 100,000 sq/ft facility at Hartlepool, opened only in July 2009, by a further 116,000 sq/ft to meet demand. Construction of this extension to the facility is currently underway.

Paul Barker added, ‘The expansion of JDR is very good news as it reinforces Hartlepool’s position in the offshore renewable energy sector and demonstrates the confidence our customers have in the port’s ability to facilitate the needs of offshore manufacturers. It is evidence that our plans to build a renewable energy supply chain cluster in the region are progressing well.’

Patrick Phelan, managing director of JDR Cable Systems Ltd said, ‘We are pleased to be located in Hartlepool with PD Ports as a partner. We have already reaped the benefits of having direct access to the North Sea and the proximity to all the major offshore wind farms currently under development in the UK. In addition, the ability to expand our facilities as the market demands is essential to our strategy of growth and diversification.’

With a large brownfield area, hartleppol port has room for other companies manufacturing and supporting wind energy projects.

PD Ports Limited has been owned since November 2009 by Canadian based Brookfield, a global asset manager focused on property, renewable power and infrastructure assets.