Wind Farms

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27.8.10

Teeside to become hub of green industry

Steelmaker Corus is to develop a new offshore wind farm business

The facility will be located on the vast 3,000-acre site in Redcar, bringing over 200 jobs to  replace some of the 1600 that were lost when the steel plant shut in February. 

 It will produce the steel structures used to fix wind turbines to the seabed known as monopiles. The structures, which can weigh 650 tonnes, will be developed in re-equipped buildings within the existing site.

Geoff Waterfield, chairman of the Corus multi-union committee, said "Companies like ours should certainly be looking at renewable energy, as projects will require a huge amount of steel and the north-east has been earmarked for that. But it is a new area for Corus and it is a little bit of a gamble. This is a good opportunity for the government to give some support to Corus that was not forthcoming earlier in the year."

And Jimmy Skivington, GMB regional organiser is optimistic for the region's regeneration as a centre for environmental industry.

“It’s been a very bleak year, but this is a sign on the horizon that work is coming back into the area. Corus will be a big player in the wind industry. Heerema at Hartlepool is getting work in green industries, biomass plants and new builds are coming on, we’re moving in the right direction. We can position ourselves to be a hub. It’s fantastic news.”