LONDON, March 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Siemens, the
largest provider of wind turbines and offshore grid connections to
the UK, has responded positively to the announcement by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer in the March
2010 Budget, to allocate funding of GBP60m to a competition for land development.
Siemens has indicated its appreciation of this development and
announced its intention to invest in excess of GBP80m to develop an offshore wind turbine
production facility in the UK. This will help Siemens accommodate
future demand driven by Round 3 and Scottish Waters upon successful
completion of the competition process.
"With the new wind turbine production plant in the UK we're
pushing ahead with our strategy of investments in attractive growth
markets for eco-friendly technology. In the foreseeable future the
wind power market in the UK will be characterized by major offshore
projects, and we'll extend our market leadership with the new
production plant," said Peter Löscher, President and CEO of Siemens
AG.
Andreas J. Goss, Siemens' chief
executive in the UK, said: "The UK government has created a stable
framework to attract inward investment in renewables and offshore
wind power in particular. The competition for land development,
announced in the Budget last week, gives us confidence that the
appropriate UK port infrastructure can be made available to support
our production plans. "
"The new Siemens wind turbine factory will create around 700 new
local jobs once it is in production, as well as additional indirect
jobs in the supply chain. With the anticipated growth in the
renewables market, there is potential for expansion of the facility
in the future. This GBP80m investment
plus additional investment in our UK infrastructure for renewables
will provide a much-needed economic boost for the region, as well
as driving growth in the UK's innovative wind power industry," said
Goss.
Siemens is currently exploring a number of sites on the East
Coast and in the North East and will make its decision about the
exact location when the competition process for land development is
complete. The company is working closely with the Regional
Development Agencies and its partners to find the optimum site.
Siemens is already investing in renewable skills development and
research and development in renewable energy in the UK. The company
has established a new Energy Sector training centre in Newcastle and has located its global Centre of
Competence for offshore grid connections in Manchester. Siemens has also established
R&D Centres of Excellence for wind power at Keele and Sheffield
Universities. The new manufacturing facility will produce the next
generation of turbines for offshore application and will draw on
R&D provided by its dedicated Centres of Excellence for wind
power in the UK.
More than 40% of the electricity from wind power in the UK is
provided using Siemens Wind Power technology.
About Siemens in the UK:
Siemens was established in the United
Kingdom 167 years ago and now employs 17,000 people in the
UK. Last year's revenues were in excess of GBP4 billion. As a leading global engineering and
technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions
to help tackle the world's major challenges, across the key sectors
of Energy, Industry and Healthcare. Siemens has more than 100
locations throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley,
Surrey. The company's global
headquarters is in Munich,
Germany.
For more information, visit http://www.siemens.co.uk