RWE has today welcomed the Prime Minister package of measures including a pledge to invest £160m to upgrade ports and infrastructure in coastal communities, to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind and drive the UK’s future green economic recovery. The UK plays a key role in RWE’s strategy to grow its renewables business and to become carbon neutral by 2040. With nine offshore wind farms in the UK in operation, RWE has significant experience in the offshore market. The company’s pro-rata installed capacity in offshore wind amounts in the UK to over 1.4 GW.
The announcement comes as Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm, off the Lincolnshire coast, the largest project under construction by RWE, also announced a move into new wind turbine assembly facilities at Able Seaton Port in Hartlepool, Teesside.
This latest milestone for the 857MW offshore wind project (RWE share 59%) demonstrates the positive impact of new investment into port facilities and is part of a transformation of AbleUK’s 140,000 sq. metres facility, enabled by a multi-million-pound investment by Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm Ltd, led by RWE Renewables.
The port is now being prepared as a wind turbine pre-assembly and handling facility for the first time ever, a move expected to increase Seaton’s long-term competitiveness in the European market.
RWE looks back on many years of experience in the UK offshore wind industry, working hand in hand with the communities where renewables projects are located. The company is committed to ensuring that its investments from its offshore wind projects benefit local coastal communities, and the UK’s expanding offshore supply chain as much as possible.
RWE is also currently developing the 1.4 GW offshore wind farm Sofia, 100% owned by RWE. In addition, RWE and its project partners recently signed Agreements for Lease with the Crown Estate to develop four projects in the UK, extending the existing offshore wind farms Gwynt y Môr, Galloper, Greater Gabbard and Rampion.