Region fights to host £100m GE wind farm factories

THE battle to bring thousands of jobs to Yorkshire intensfied yesterday after GE announced plans to invest £100m in building offshore wind turbine manufacturing facilities in the UK.

The announcement followed confirmation in Wednesday's Budget that the Government will hold a competition for up to 60m of funding to develop port sites.

The American conglomerate said its investment would create as many as 1,900 jobs by 2020, both in the plant and the associated supply chain.

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Business leaders in Yorkshire are fighting to bring wind farm manufacturers to the region, which they believe is ideally located for new farms planned for the North Sea.

Magued Eldaief, managing director of GE Energy UK, said: "We believe offshore wind has a bright future here in the UK and are delighted that the UK government yesterday committed to further developing this important sector."

GE said the project will form part of a planned E340m investment in Europe's wind energy industry over the next 10 years.

"These GE investments will position us to help develop Europe's vast, untapped offshore wind resources, while also creating invaluable new jobs for both GE and our suppliers in the UK," added Mr Eldaief.

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Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: "This is great news from GE, a vote of confidence in UK low carbon manufacturing which should create a huge number of jobs. The industry has enormous potential for further growth, with significant knock-on benefits for jobs throughout the supply chain."

GE said it was too early to say which sites it will use, but it is believed to be looking at ports in the Humber. Alternative sites include the North East.

GE will use the site, which should be operational by 2013, to develop its next generation wind turbine, a 4MW machine designed for offshore use.

Joanne Pollard, chief executive of CO2 Sense Yorkshire, welcomed the announcement.

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Two other multinationals are understood to be looking at sites on the Humber owned by Associated British Ports and Able UK.

Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said: "It provides proof that offshore wind presents a huge economic opportunity for the UK.

"Analysis from the Carbon Trust shows that with continued commitment from industry and government to work together, the offshore wind industry could be employing 70,000 people in the UK by 2020, creating a net economic benefit of 65bn for the country over the next 40 years."