A OFFSHORE wind farm parts manufacturer has completed a landmark phase of a £23m investment in its Teesside facility.

Tag Energy Solutions has finished work on increasing the size of its load-out and assembly area for the fabrication of substation topsides and jackets in anticipation of an expected increase in demand for offshore wind substations.

The project has so far created around 75 jobs.

The Haverton Hill plant, which opened in September, is still awaiting its first major deal, and recently lost out to a Belgian rival on a major contract to supply parts for a 27-turbine wind farm off the coast of Redcar, in east Cleveland.

However, the company, which has picked up a smaller scale orders, and has several deals in the pipeline, has remained undeterred, continuing with the development of its facility.

The latest phase of the development involved extending the assembly area by levelling what were previously among the longest slip ways in Europe.

The expansion will allow it to deliver a wider range of offshore wind turbine project management and fabrication services to include engineering, procurement and construction of offshore wind substation topsides.

It is the latest development at the site following the creation of the multi-million pound production facility in 2011.

The 170,000m2 site, located on the River Tees, boasts a 6,920m2 production hall, and has the capacity to deliver up to 100,000 te of steel monopiles every year.

The historic yard, which was first used for ship-building, has now seen 100 years of marine construction, moving from its original use to manufacturing parts for the oil and gas industry and now, wind turbine foundations, substation topsides and jackets.

The facility's semi-automated system rolls and welds large diameter tubulars for the offshore energy industries.

Alex Dawson, the company's chief executive, said: "There is a need for approximately two to three substations for each 500MW of offshore wind. For Round 3 this amounts to a significant requirement for these structures.

"What TAG Energy Solutions is offering is an experienced partner with significant management expertise in modular construction and excellent facilities based in an ideal location.

"We have extensive experience in project managing major offshore projects worldwide.

"Collectively, the team have delivered more than one hundred topside structures to the offshore industry and fully understand the budget and schedule demands as well as stringent standards required to meet the renewable industry's needs."