Government backs £130m subsea cable facility ahead of renewable ramp up
JDR Cable Systems (JDR) has gained further financial backing from the Government for its new subsea cable manufacturing facility in Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland.
It will be supported by the UK Government’s Offshore Wind Manufacturing Scheme (OWMIS), and will begin construction in summer 2022, with a planned opening in 2024.
JDR is a global subsea cable and umbilical supplier and servicer, part of the TFK Group – and is looking to harness the ramp-up in offshore wind power across the UK.
The project is the first stage of JDR’s plans to expand its product portfolio to support the growing global renewable energy market, adding high voltage export and long length array cables to its existing capacity and product capabilities.
The government is looking to boost offshore wind capacity to 50 GW by the end of the decade as part of its supply security, with subsea cables vital for transporting energy from turbines across the country and into Europe.
The facility has already been supported by a new £130m UK Export Finance (UKEF) Export Development Guarantee, and is set to create a further 171 local jobs on completion.
JDR has also announced a £3m investment into its existing facility at Hartlepool, with the installation of a new vertical layup machine (VLM).
The VLM is nearly double the weight capacity and increases production capacity at Hartlepool by approximately 25 per cent.
This will ready the facility for manufacture of array cables above its current 66 kV product range, with the addition of 132kV and 150kV cabling planned at the facility.
Tomasz Nowak, Chief Executive at JDR, said: “Since our initial announcement in September last year, the UK has redoubled its commitment to net zero having hosted COP 26 and reaffirmed the importance of building out the country’s renewable infrastructure and supply chain in light of the current gas and energy crises. Now more than ever it’s critical to push forward with the UK’s offshore energy ambitions and we are delighted to take this major step forward in delivering the new site at Blyth.”
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “Our offshore wind sector is a major industrial success story that delivers cheaper energy for consumers and high-quality manufacturing jobs across the UK. Investments such as this from JDR, with government backing, are exactly the kind which our British Energy Security Strategy will attract, while reducing our exposure to volatile global gas prices.”