A contract to build a new £65m manufacturing facility for JDR Cable Systems in Northumberland has been agreed.
Construction company Galliford Try’s Building North East and Yorkshire business has sealed the lucrative deal to build the new facility, which forms part of a plan for JDR to expand its product portfolio. The project will see the creation of a new 500,000sqft factory to help JDR expand and support the growing global offshore renewable energy market, adding high voltage export and long-length array cables to its capabilities.
The new base will create around 170 new jobs while also giving the firm access new significant contracts, following on from deals currently being won at its other North East base in Hartlepool, which recently landed a contract to supply an offshore wind farm in Germany.
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The firm said the Blyth scheme represents a significant investment in the North East on the site of the former Blyth power station, while also building on Galliford Try’s track record for delivering major manufacturing facilities within the region, including past projects for the likes of Rolls-Royce and Quorn.
Bill Hocking, chief executive of Galliford Try, said: “We are delighted to be part of this fantastic project, which adds to our excellent portfolio of work in the North East, and also helps the UK towards energy security and its net zero carbon targets. We look forward to working with JDR to provide them with a first-class facility that assists them in achieving their ambitions.”
James Young, chief strategy and compliance officer at JDR, said: “The appointment of Galliford Try and the start of construction represents a major milestone in the realisation of our new high-voltage subsea cable manufacturing facility. JDR selected Galliford Try for their technical expertise, attention to detail, strong local supply-chain and their collaborative solutions.
“We look forward to working with the team at Galliford Try to construct our facility and in doing so to bring new power cable capabilities and capacity to the UK, which in turn will help to secure our energy supply, and connect more renewable energy to power our homes and cities.”
In June it was announced that JDR Cables would receive backing from the Government’s Offshore Wind Manufacturing Scheme, to kickstart construction.
JDR sealed a £130m UK Export Finance Export Development Guarantee, helping it to create new jobs in Northumberland while also safeguarding 270 posts at its existing bases at Hartlepool and Cambridgeshire. The firm has also invested £3m in its Hartlepool base to install a new vertical layup machine.
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