A CABLE company from the Tees Valley which is becoming an international leader in its field through its work in renewable energy is preparing for further expansion by more than doubling the size of its premises.

JDR Cables, a specialist in subsea power cables, yesterday said it is expanding its base at Hartlepool dock from 100,000sq ft to 216,000sq ft, as part of its continuing expansion plans.

The business, which is now looking to more than double its workforce through the addition of 80 jobs to its current workforce of 70, has recently received a £2m Government grant to help with its groundbreaking work in windfarms.

JDR has also won a £33m deal to help create the world’s biggest wind farm – the London Array, in the Thames estuary – and has helped to create the £42m Wave Hub project, which will create, in effect, a massive electrical socket on the seabed off the coast of Cornwall.

The company, which moved into its current premises last July, is widely-regarded as a leader in its field, and its Hartlepool facility is the only site in the UK which is designed specifically to manufacture subsea power cables for the oil and gas sector and the burgeoning offshore renewables market.

Patrick Phelan, managing director of the JDR Cable Systems group, said Hartlepool was a key facility for the company, particularly with its proximity to Dogger Bank’s North Sea expansion zone.

“We have already reaped the benefits of having direct access to the North Sea and the proximity to all the major offshore wind farms currently under development in the UK,” he said.

“In addition, the ability to expand our facilities as the market demands is essential to our strategy of growth and diversification.”

The expansion was last night welcomed by PD Ports, which operates the Hartlepool port where JDR is based.

Its location allows the cables to be spooled directly onto cable-laying vessels.

Jerry Hopkinson, managing director of PD Ports’ bulks, ports and logistics operation, said it is an endorsement of the area’s growing reputation in renewables.

He said: “The expansion of JDR is very good news as it reinforces Hartlepool’s position in the offshore renewable energy sector and the confidence our customers have in the port’s ability to facilitate the needs of offshore manufactures.

“It is evidence that our plans to build a renewable energy supply chain cluster in the region is progressing well.”