The upcoming state-of-the-art subsea cable manufacturing facility is projected to boost the UK offshore renewables sector.
October 1, 2021
The subsea cable manufacturing projects, in Cambois, Northumberland, are being developed by global supplier JDR Cable Systems, part of TFK Group, with support from Westminster.
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Subject to final agreements, the construction of the facility is projected to begin in 2022 and the opening is planned to take place in 2024. This is expected to create around 170 local jobs on completion and a further 270 at JDR’s existing facilities.
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The initial project investment is estimated at USD 174.9 million (130 million Pound), which will be part-funded by a grant from the BEIS Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support (OWMIS) scheme. JDR and TFK are intending to acquire the remaining funding, with backing expected from financial institutions and UK Export Finance.
The new facility is a part of the first stage of JDR’s plans to expand its product portfolio to support the growing global renewable energy market. Upon completion, the site will include a new catenary continuous vulcanisation (CCV) line, making it the only facility in the UK capable of full start-to-finish manufacturing of high voltage subsea cables.
Tomasz Nowak, chief executive at JDR, said: “As the energy transition gathers pace and the UK’s offshore wind sector continues to thrive, turbines are growing taller and farther from shore, calling for higher voltage subsea cables.”
The 69,000 square meter facility will occupy the site of a former coal-fired power station, continuing Northumberland’s emergence as a hub for renewable energy engineering and industry.
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Tony Quinn, chairman of Energi Coast – the North East England’s Offshore Wind Supply Chain Cluster, added: “We’re delighted that JDR has selected Cambois, near Blyth, for such a strategically important investment. It will make a significant contribution toward the development of an offshore wind industrial cluster in the North East.”
