Global pipe manufacturer SeAH Wind Ltd has today (14 February) confirmed that it will bring a £200-300million UK XXL monopile manufacturing facility to Teesworks in the latest coup for the site’s growing offshore wind hub.

The firm’s 90-acre site will sit alongside the under-development South Bank Quay. It will create 750 direct jobs and 1,500 more in the supply chain and during construction.

Once up and running it will be the world’s largest monopile plant for offshore wind turbines.

Monopiles are large steel tubes that form the foundations of the construction of offshore wind turbines. When fully operational in 2026 it is expected to be able to produce between 100 and 150 monopiles per year.

It will be built on the 4.5million sq ft offshore wind and industrial space being created on 450 acres of land next to the wharf and heavy-lift South Bank Quay. The first phase of the quay was recently awarded £107million of funding in the UK Infrastructure Bank’s first ever investment. Piling to strengthen the quay wall is now taking place, with the full phase one 450m quay due to be complete by March 2023.

SeAH Steel Holdings CEO and President Joosung Lee said: “When SeAH confirmed its UK investment, the aim was to contribute to the UK offshore wind industry by working with the UK Government. We are pleased to take the first yet significant step for this goal in Teesside. We will endeavour to make our factory globally competitive as well as become a good member of the community.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “2022 is our year of construction and this is another transformational project that places Teesside as the UK lead for clean, green manufacturing.

“SeAh is an internationally recognised manufacturing company with an incredible reputation for quality and it’s a real coup that we’ve been able to secure their investment for Teesside.

“Spades will be in the ground for this factory at the beginning of July, delivering hundreds of well-paid, good-quality construction jobs that will deliver this huge factory that will create 750 direct jobs for local people.

“We’re wasting no time in clearing land and developing schemes like the South Bank Quay, which has proved a massive draw to SeAH as it is for other businesses in the offshore sector.

“Teesworks is quickly becoming a site of firsts – it’s the heart of the first UK Freeport, we’re developing the world’s first decarbonised industrial cluster thanks to Net Zero Teesside and we’re now the first area in the UK to be home to a monopile plant.

“We’ve only secured these milestones by going further, faster and we’re working round the clock to get the jobs local people are crying out for on the site as soon as possible.”

Councillor Mary Lanigan, Leader of Redcar & Cleveland Council, said: “This is excellent news – another company with a global reputation putting its faith in Teesworks and the Teesside workforce to deliver an industry of the future and provide well-paid, quality jobs in Redcar and Cleveland.

“We have always known about the potential of the site and now it is fantastic to see that potential starting to be realised. We welcome SeAH Wind Ltd to our region and I’m sure a combination of the company’s expertise and ambition and the skills and commitment of our workforce will make this project a huge success. That, in turn, will hopefully provide the momentum for more world-class companies to come to the site and create even more jobs and prosperity to the region.”

Jacob Young, MP for Redcar, said: “SeAH’s announcement that they’re going to bring their new monopile manufacturing facility for the wind turbine industry to Teesworks is amazing news for everybody in Teesside.

“It will bring with it 750 direct jobs and another 1,500 indirect jobs building 150 of these huge monopiles every year each weighing 1,200 tons.

“When they leave the factory they’ll go direct to the brand new quay, then out from the Tees to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank.

“This is yet another extraordinary demonstration that Teesside sits at the very heart of the UK’s green industrial revolution. What’s happening at Teesworks is bringing new, long-term and sustainable jobs to the people of our region.”