Hobson & Porter lands Aura Innovation Centre contract to surpass £20m of offshore wind orders 

Construction of the Aura Innovation Centre is underway with the project expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Hobson & Porter has been awarded a multi-million-pound contract to construct the Aura Innovation Centre at Hessle’s Bridgehead Business Park for the University of Hull, marking more than £20 million of projects delivered by Hobson & Porter in the offshore wind energy sector.

The Aura Innovation Centre will be a purpose-built facility that provides large businesses and SMEs with the space to collaborate and innovate to deliver low-carbon energy and clean growth. Its aim is to foster innovation and research to address the real challenges faced by the offshore wind and low-carbon energy industries.

Hobson & Porter’s ventures into the offshore renewables sector began in 2014 when the company delivered a new onshore operations base and warehouses for Dong Energy Power (UK) to service its Westermost Rough wind farm. Following this, Hobson & Porter have delivered five further projects for the same client, which has now rebranded as Ørsted, through both its Major and Minor works divisions on projects throughout the Humber Region. The Hull-based construction firm was also commissioned to undertake a specialist project in the sector in Northern France earlier this year.

The largest and most notable project was awarded by Ørsted in 2017 to extend its existing operations centre, located at Grimsby’s Royal Docks. This multi-million pound project will create a world-class facility for operations and maintenance of offshore wind farms, known as The East Coast Hub, the largest in the UK, which will open in early 2019.

The Aura Innovation Centre will become Hobson & Porter’s eighth onshore building project in the offshore wind sector, taking total revenues for the building contractor past £20m in a four-year period.

With support from GreenPort Hull & The European Regional Development Fund, Aura brings together significant expertise in renewable energy through a powerful partnership that includes Ørsted and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, the universities of Hull, Sheffield and Durham, the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC), CATCH (an industry led training partnership), the National Oceanography Centre and the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Richard Hunter, Managing Director of Hobson & Porter, said: “We’re very excited to have been appointed as the main contractor of this landmark project. The project will be our eighth scheme in the offshore energy sector, which is remarkable considering we have never stepped foot offshore! This is a true reflection of the economic impact the sector is bringing to our region.

“The Aura Innovation Centre will play a huge role in strengthening the region’s reputation as a leader in offshore wind innovation, bringing together the major players in the industry to foster a collaborative and forward-thinking culture in a world-class research facility. But it will also demonstrate the fantastic opportunities available to land-based contractors looking to become involved in the offshore sector.

Richard added: “The sector has a very exciting future in the Humber region and we want to play our part by working on schemes that contribute positively to this. We are a business which was established in the early 70’s, when the North Sea fishing industries played a huge part in the economic footprint of our area. This relatively new, fast-emerging market is testament to the hard work and collaboration of key decision makers in the region and we’re proud to be part of it.”

Construction of the Aura Innovation Centre is underway with the project expected to be completed by the end of 2019.