EDF Energy Renewables hails Teesside wind farm

IT was a fleeting glimpse.

A brief moment as the boat weaved past the dominating structures.

But, for all the succinctness, it was a lingering image.

It was a clear sign of Teesside's changing industrial heartland.

Away in the distance, the famous steelworks continued their endeavours.

Smoke filled the clear blue skies, as white, grey and brown hues billowed from factories.

In the foreground stood 27 wind turbines, their rotor blades silently and languidly circling to the force of the North Sea's breeze.

As the red and cream coloured pleasure cruiser, normally accustomed to skirting Bridlington's East Yorkshire coastline, meandered along its course, the old and the new were together as one.

The Teesside wind farm, built last year off Redcar, is capable of supplying electricity to about 40,000 homes, and is EDF Energy Renewables' first UK offshore development.

Generating about 62 megawatts of electricity, each turbine's 2.3 megawatt capacity will flow through seabed cables to a substation in nearby Warrenby, near Redcar, before being connecting to the grid.

Bosses say it will support 15 maintenance jobs in Hartlepool and strengthen the firm's presence in the region.

The wider EDF Group already runs the Hartlepool nuclear power station, employing more than 600 North-East workers, and has a call centre in Sunderland, with 1,700 staff.

Its renewables division also employs 35 engineers in Rainton Bridge, Houghton-le-Spring, who focus on its onshore wind farm operations.

Scurrying for cover as the waters sprayed the boat's deck, Christian Egal, EDF Energy Renewables' chief executive, said the development marked a significant moment in the company's power provision.

He said the scheme will be the framework to shape the UK's electricity sector and configure the company's future.

Mr Egal also confirmed the site will not be extended.

He said: “This wind farm is a very important milestone for us.

“It is a prototype that we can use going forward, and the North-East is also an important place for us and key to our work.

“As a company we must develop renewables and Teesside is allowing us to do just that.

“Our experience here will build our credentials as a major player in wind energy and will be invaluable in our development of other offshore wind farms.

“The UK is the leading country in terms of offshore wind, and half of the capacity worldwide is from the UK.

“As an island, the geography lends itself to the industry and the country, and this region has highly-skilled workers with expertise picked up through the oil and gas and chemical sectors.

“Sometimes it is possible to expand, but for this one there are no plans to do that.

“There are a lot of parameters you have to work to, and one of the main reasons we will not be adding to it is that this is a busy area.

“There is a lot of traffic from the boats and fisherman.

“But we are very pleased with it, especially as it's the first one built and is owned by EDF Group companies.”

On dry land, Energy Minister Michael Fallon officially opened the wind farm with EDF Group chief executive Henri Proglio, with more than 200 European visitors descending upon Redcar's Majuba Road car park for the ceremony.

Mr Fallon, a former Darlington MP, said he was delighted the project was based in the North-East because it reinforced its position as an industrial leader.

He also said he believed the turbines will become an aesthetic attraction for locals and visitors.

He said: “Teesside has always been in the vanguard of technological change, so its very apt we're in the North-East looking at offshore wind, which is a key part of a more secure energy future.

“This is a tremendous feat of engineering, but more importantly than that, it is a tangible demonstration of green energy in action.

“The North-East's has always been at the forefront of energy, from the coal mining and shipyards, to being a centre of excellence for the oil and gas sector and offshore wind.

“It is an abiding strength of the region that we can adapt and continue to lead industrial change.

“We have to maximise the potential of the resources we have and it would be remiss of us not to use this future source to help keep the lights on.”

Mr Fallon said developments such as the Teesside wind farm would form a two-pronged approach, by bolstering the UK's position as an offshore specialist and lowering consumer bills.

He added: “We need more energy sources and I'm delighted Teesside is at the forefront of that drive.

“The UK is the market of choice for renewables and a clear world leader.

“The cost of offshore wind will fall as the more turbines go up and that will help keep bills down.”

THE SUPPLY CHAIN:

Building the wind farm created work for a number of North-East companies.

MPI Offshore, in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, transported, lifted and installed parts using its 138-metre vessel, MPI Adventure, out of the Port of Hartlepool.

Engineering firm Marske Site Services, also based in Stokesley, helped lay the foundations for the project.

The company dropped about 7,000 tonnes of rock from Sherburn, County Durham, in Japanese-made nets on to the seabed next to turbine monopiles to stop erosion and will continue to provide maintenance services for EDF.

Director John McCullagh said: “We have got a fantastic industrial heritage up here in the North-East.

“We started with the railways and have the steel industry too.

“People in the North are highly-skilled and versatile and willing to take on new challenges, which is why companies see it as a good place to do business.

“We are delighted to have worked with EDF on this scheme and hope to support them in the future.”

PUBLIC REACTION:

Enjoying the brisk breeze on Redcar beach, kite flier Kevin Robson said the wind turbines were a welcome sight to the town's coastline.

The 58-year-old, from Saltburn, in east Cleveland, said: “I think they are fantastic, and there should be more of them.

“They don't interfere with anything and we have to look at different forms of energy.

“I know they are expensive to put in but the costs should come down.”

Ann Clark, from Eston, near Middlesbrough, was walking pet dog Elli and said the wind farm caused no upset to her either.

She said: “I think it's wonderful and I enjoy watching them go around.

“They are good for the environment and we have to save the planet.

“Living in Eston, it wouldn't bother me at all if they put them on Eston Hills.”

Pat Ralston, also from Eston, lived in Redcar for 37 years.

She still enjoys walking along the sea front, and said the presence of the turbines hasn't spoiled her view.

She said: “We have to look to the future and make progress.

“You've got to be positive about these things, it's no good being negative all the time and static in your thinking.

“I don't mind about the turbines as long as I can see the sea.”

Former British Steel worker and present Redcar and Cleveland Mayor, Vic Jeffries, also backed the development.

He added: “This is a big day for Teesside and compliments what we have with the steelworks and our ICI history.

“We have to look to the future, for our children's children, and the energy sources that are going to benefit them.”

TEESSIDE WIND FARM FACTFILE: 

• The project received approval in 2008 and onshore work started in 2011, with offshore construction beginning in February 2012.
• The development was finished in July 2013.
• At its peak, more than 350 workers were involved on the site and bosses say 950 direct and indirect posts were supported.
• The first phase saw Dutch company Van Oord install turbine foundations, sinking monopiles to 30 metres under the seabed.
• Two subsea cable circuits bring electricity from the turbines to an electrical substation in Warrenby.
• The substation increases the voltage, transferring the power to a neighbouring base in Lackenby, which is connected to the national grid.
• EDF Energy Renewables already operates a number of onshore wind farms in the region, including developments in Sedgefield, Tow Law and Trimdon Grange, County Durham.