Siemens will invest in excess of £80m to develop an offshore wind turbine production facility in the UK. The facility is to help Siemens accommodate future demand driven by Round 3 and Scottish Waters upon successful completion of the competition process.”With the new wind turbine production plant in the UK we’re pushing ahead with our strategy of investments in attractive growth markets for eco-friendly technology. In the foreseeable future the wind power market in the UK will be characterized by major offshore projects, and we’ll extend our market leadership with the new production plant,” said Peter Löscher, President and CEO of Siemens AG.

Andreas J. Goss, Siemens’ chief executive in the UK, said: “The UK government has created a stable framework to attract inward investment in renewables and offshore wind power in particular. The competition for land development, announced in the Budget last week, gives us confidence that the appropriate UK port infrastructure can be made available to support our production plans. ”

“The new Siemens wind turbine factory will create around 700 new local jobs once it is in production, as well as additional indirect jobs in the supply chain. With the anticipated growth in the renewables market, there is potential for expansion of the facility in the future. This £80m investment plus additional investment in our UK infrastructure for renewables will provide a much-needed economic boost for the region, as well as driving growth in the UK’s innovative wind power industry,” said Goss.

Siemens is currently exploring a number of sites on the East Coast and in the North East and will make its decision about the exact location when the competition process for land development is complete. The company is working closely with the Regional Development Agencies and its partners to find the optimum site.

Siemens is already investing in renewable skills development and research and development in renewable energy in the UK. The company has established a new Energy Sector training centre in Newcastle and has located its global Centre of Competence for offshore grid connections in Manchester. Siemens has also established R&D Centres of Excellence for wind power at Keele and Sheffield Universities. The new manufacturing facility will produce the next generation of turbines for offshore application and will draw on R&D provided by its dedicated Centres of Excellence for wind power in the UK.

According to Siemens, more than 40% of the electricity from wind power in the UK is provided using Siemens Wind Power technology.