Outer Harbour works commence at Peel Ports Great Yarmouth

A multi-million-pound co-investment has been agreed to support the construction of primary infrastructure and ground works for the Galloper Wind Farm and East Anglia ONE Wind Farm projects. Construction work will include the delivery of a yard storage and marshalling area, as well as the installation of heavy-lift quay facilities. The work is expected to be completed by early 2017.

Port Director Richard Goffin and representatives from Siemens, ScottishPower Renewables, and innogy SE were joined by the Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP at a ground-breaking event at the port to mark the start of construction. ScottishPower Renewables selected Peel Ports Great Yarmouth as its port of choice for the construction and installation activities for its £2.5 billion East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm earlier this year.

The turbines for the project will be supplied and installed by Siemens, which also announced Great Yarmouth as the assembly and installation base for Galloper Wind Farm which is currently being constructed by innogy SE on behalf of the project partners. Siemens will supply 56 six-megawatt turbines for Galloper Wind Farm and 102 seven-megawatt turbines for the East Anglia ONE Wind Farm, which will have the combined capacity to generate enough energy for up to 836,000 homes a year. The decision to locate works at Peel Ports Great Yarmouth will provide a further boost to the significant investment and jobs creation that the projects will bring to the region.

Richard Goffin, Port Director at Peel Ports Great Yarmouth, believes this latest investment in port-side facilities will consolidate Great Yarmouth’s position as a leading offshore energy port facility in the UK. He said: “The start of these works marks significant progress in our plans to grow and diversify our offering at Great Yarmouth within the energy sector. These planned infrastructure investments will benefit future windfarm developments and the wider energy sector for many years to come. We look forward to supporting the delivery of these high profile wind energy projects, which will bring economic benefits to the region.”

Ray Thompson from Siemens said, “We are delighted to be working with Peel Ports in Great Yarmouth. As part of the wind industry’s drive to reduce costs to consumers having access to the right kind of port locations is critical to the safe and efficient deployment of our contracts. Hundreds of thousands of UK homes will be powered by clean, secure energy from developments built and maintained from a UK base. This once again demonstrates Siemens’ commitment to UK content and UK expertise. It also helps cement Britain’s East Coast as the centre of a fledgling, but world-class renewables industry.”

Speaking ahead of the event, the Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP said: “I am delighted to be attending the ground-breaking ceremony at Peel Ports to mark the start of construction works for the Galloper Wind Farm and East Anglia ONE Wind Farm Projects. It's fantastic that Siemens chose Peel Ports Great Yarmouth as their preferred port for the construction and installation work for these projects. This multi million pound investment in Great Yarmouth further strengthens the town’s position as a leading port for the offshore energy industry and brings jobs and growth to our local area.“

Richard Sandford, Head of Investment & Asset Management Offshore Wind, at innogy SE said: “The investment that Galloper and other projects are unlocking in the east coast, is helping secure a long term, thriving renewables industry for the region as well as significantly supporting UK infrastructure. Galloper and other future pipeline projects such as Triton Knoll, also have the potential to offer one of the strongest opportunities for low cost, secure, home grown energy for UK consumers. This fantastic Peel Ports Great Yarmouth facility will be the arrival hub for key components of the Galloper Wind Farm such as nacelles, blades, towers and electrical modules, and the base for the tower pre-assembly and nacelle preparation.”

Charlie Jordan, ScottishPower Renewables Project Director for East Anglia ONE, said: “Peel Ports Great Yarmouth will be integral to the successful delivery of East Anglia ONE, which will be one of the largest offshore windfarms to go in to construction anywhere in the world.   The industry-leading Siemens turbines we are using have blade lengths of 75 metres, so the size and scale of the equipment that will be handled by Great Yarmouth is pretty impressive.  This development work will ensure that the facilities at Great Yarmouth are some of the best anywhere for delivering large-scale offshore windfarms. East Anglia ONE is the first of up to four projects we would like to build in the Southern North Sea, so we hope that our plans will continue to create jobs and investment in the region for decades to come.”

When complete, East Anglia ONE will have a lifespan of 30 years and is expected to provide enough renewable energy to meet the annual electricity demands of the equivalent of up to 500,000 homes by 2020. Construction will start in 2017, with the first turbines installed by 2019.

The Galloper Wind Farm is an extension of the existing and fully operational Greater Gabbard Wind Farm, situated off the coast of Suffolk. The wind farm is expected to commence operations in March 2018 and once operational will have an annual generation equivalent up to 336,000 average UK households.

In line with its commitment to the area, Peel Ports Great Yarmouth used local suppliers where possible to facilitate the ground-breaking event. Catering was provided by Great Yarmouth College, which is working on the Skills for Energy Initiative – a programme designed to provide graduates with skills tailored to the expanding offshore energy sector. Care was taken to use locally sourced produce where possible, and drinks were provided by Lacons Brewery, Great Yarmouth.