When Wind Powers a Local Economy
Our customers need local solutions to help Britain reduce its CO2 emissions while fulfilling increased demand for energy. Siemens' world-class blade factory in Hull will help to create clean energy using local content and skills.
Chloe was working in Congleton when she applied for a Siemens European Apprenticeship. Three years and a degree in mechatronics later, she has the skills needed to bring a rotor blade from concept to execution.
Lessons learnt internationally and applied locally
It’s not only Chloe who’s going to benefit. She’s bringing her expertise back to Alexandra Dock, Hull, where Siemens has invested £160 million in a world-class blade factory, and offshore installation and service facilities. Siemens will create jobs for 1,000 local people. Most of these will be within the blade factory, but hundreds of additional jobs are being created during construction and throughout the extended supply chain.
The state-of-the-art blade factory builds on lessons Siemens learnt from its factories internationally. As a result, the Hull factory will sit in a single site, which will make the construction process even more lean.
Siemens Project Director, Finbarr Dowling, notes: “By deploying the latest manufacturing technologies, we have been able to design our new blade plant to have 20% higher output in a plant which is 15% smaller than the original design.”
And this ingenious commitment to efficiency and progress applies to the B75 blades that will be made there, too. Siemens’ patented IntegralBlade process eliminates the use of adhesives and overlapping materials. It means Siemens can make the world’s longest rotor blade from a single casting. These fibreglass blades are lighter than competitors’ carbon blades, and when operated at a wind speed of 10 metres per second, it captures the energy from 200 metric tons of air every second.
Local benefits: Siemens is creating lasting benefits for the city and the environment
Local blades, made and deployed in the UK, will secure skilled British jobs for the long term. They'll ensure that future generations benefit from more secure and sustainable, low-carbon energy, cementing Britain’s position as the world leader in offshore wind. That’s Ingenuity for life.
