Greater Grimsby and the wider region have received a further boost to their status as an internationally significant hub for renewable energy.
A wide-ranging consultation process is under way after Able UK announced £400 million plans to build a mile-long quay and Marine Energy Park on the South Humber Bank in North Lincolnshire.
If it wins planning consent after submitting a formal planning application early next year, the facility would manufacture, assemble and supply turbines to offshore wind farms in the North Sea from 2015.
The project would lead to 5,100 onsite jobs, many of which would be highly-skilled, as well as another 5,100 across the region and more than 2,000 throughout the country. And the impact of the scheme on North Lincolnshire would also lead to more than 10,000 further indirect jobs becoming available.
North Lincolnshire Council leader, Mark Kirk, said:
"Today's announcement has to be viewed as extremely positive and a real shot in the arm for our economy and for local people. The significance of this investment will be felt positively on both banks of the Humber."
The Marine Energy Park, if approved, would serve wind farm zones to be developed in the North Sea over the next decade. Sailing times to the country's designated offshore wind farm sites makes the Humber the prime location for such activity, over rivals elsewhere in the UK and mainland Europe. Grimsby is rapidly becoming a critical base for operations and maintenance, with the fish dock already home to those supporting the initial crop of wind farms.
With 1,900 acres of land to develop and deep water access for the huge vessels required, the location to the west of Immingham, between the oil refineries and Humber Sea Terminal, appears to lead the way.
Link: www.ableuk.com