Chamber welcomes £310m investment to power winds of change on Humber

This vision of the future is about to become a reality following today's announcement.

THE Chamber’s new President Tim Durkin today welcomed the news that manufacturing giant Siemens and Associated British Ports are to invest £310-million in wind turbine factories and called on skills trainers to provide a high quality workforce.

With 1,000 new jobs being created, more than originally expected, plus hundreds more through construction and the supply chain, this development will power the winds of change through the Humber region for years to come.

Siemens is investing £160-million in two locations, the Green Port Hull project, and a second manufacturing facility in Paull, in East Yorkshire, while Associated British Ports is investing a further £150-million in the project.

The Green Port Hull facility will construct, assemble and service offshore wind turbines, while the second Siemens site in Paull will be used to manufacture the 75-metre rotor blades.

“This is great news, not just for the City of Hull, but also for the Humber region,” said Tim Durkin. “I pay tribute to all those who have been working so hard behind the scene to achieve this long-awaited result.

“Whilst this £310-million investment will bring much needed employment to the area, the priority now must be to ensure that skills trainers provide qualified applicants from the local area to fill those jobs and not applicants from outside the area. That will also enable our region to satisfy the requirements of the supply chain which will, in time, follow Siemens to the area.”

The Chamber, along with other key stakeholders, has supported the campaign to get Siemens to invest in the Humber. It’s taken a long time to get all the pieces in place, but today’s tremendous news will really give our local economy the boost it needs.

“The last couple of weeks have been brilliant for the Humber region, with plenty to cheer in the Budget on Wednesday, quickly followed by Thursday’s announcement of the electrification of the rail line from Selby to Hull. This was given the green light by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin who said he was making £2.5-million available to take the project to the next stage. First Hull Trains is now planning to spend £94-million electrifying 70 miles of track to improve connections with the wider rail network.

The Chamber, along with other key stakeholders will be working hard with Siemens to ensure a strong business supply chain is developed into the local community.