Korean Manufacturing Giant Confirms Opening of New Factory
NewsSeven hundred and fifty new jobs will be created in the Humber region after South Korean manufacturing company SeAH confirmed the opening of an offshore wind turbine factory.
The news has been welcomed by the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, which is already commiting to expanding the region's green energy output through additional projects such as Humber Zero and the Killingholme Marshes Drainage Scheme.
The new factory, which will be built on the banks of the River Humber, will be the first of its kind in the UK to build monopiles, which are the foundation columns for offshore wind turbines.
SeAH Wind Ltd will build the factory at Able Marine Energy Park, creating a maximum of 750 new jobs by 2030.
The Seoul-based manufacturing giant has laid plans totalling a three-year investment programme worth £260 million, and operations are set to begin in 2023.
Peter Stephenson, Executive Chairman at Able UK, said: “This announcement is the culmination of sustained and considerable efforts by many parties.
“Government policy, our own ambitions and the appetite of the offshore wind sector are now well and truly aligned and have created this exceptional opportunity and one that will resonate locally, nationally as well as in global terms.
“Clearly this is a defining moment for AMEP development, and our thanks are warmly extended to the entire SeAH team who have recognised, and shared, our faith and belief in the project.”
He added: “While we expect to see further similar announcements in the not too distant future, we cannot overstate the significance and impact of this first commitment.”
SeAH anticipates that the site will operate at full capacity and peak employment by the end of the decade.
The factory at Able Marine Energy Park is expected to be the world’s largest monopile manufacturing facility, shining further light on the Humber region as a front runner in offshore wind farms and development.
The large-scale development was also allocated grant funding from the Government’s £160 million support package for offshore wind coastal manufacturing and infrastructure, contributing to meeting both national net-zero carbon emissions and levelling-up agendas.
A 40GW target for offshore wind installation has been set for 2030 by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as part of the green industrial revolution to push the country's Covid recovery and 'build back better’.