Newcastle factory to make world’s biggest wind turbine blades

The latest £8m funding for offshore wind technology was made available today as the prime minister hailed the UK as a 'global leader' in the offshore wind market.

The announcement came as Clipper Windpower confirmed it is to start construction of a factory in Newcastle to build the biggest wind turbine blades in the world.

Visiting the site, where Clipper today confirmed it will employ up to 500 people by 2020 to manufacture blades for the massive 10 megawatt Britannia offshore wind turbine, the prime minister said: "I welcome Clipper's ground-breaking announcement to build the largest wind turbine blade in the world on the banks of the Tyne. The UK is a global leader in offshore wind power, and the North East is at the forefront in providing the skills, expertise and enterprise to capitalise on this rapidly expanding market, which has the potential to create thousands of future green jobs.

"The combination of our strong natural wind resource and the substantial backing we've given the industry mean the investment conditions in the UK are unrivalled."

Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband, also visiting the Clipper site, called for proposals for the latest allocation of government funding for offshore wind technology development: "Government support can help make the difference between Britain leading in the new offshore wind industry or simply being a follower. The UK already has more offshore wind installed than any other country in the world and our plan is to build on that position.

"The £8 million being made available today will be invested in projects to support the development of a new generation of turbines. This is in addition to the £18 million already awarded, and the recent decision to issue rights for 32 gigwatts of capacity- the biggest expansion of offshore wind of any country in the world."