Energy minister Malcolm Wicks makes claims as he launches New and Renewable Energy Centre in Northumberland

Expansion in offshore wind could create 30,000 manufacturing jobs in the North-east and bring 拢3bn of investment to the area, the government will say today.

Energy minister Malcolm Wicks will make the remarks during the official launch of the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) in Blyth, Northumberland.

The world鈥檚 largest wind turbine, which will be almost 10 times taller than the Angel of the North, is set to be developed at the facility by US energy company Clipper Wind.


Malcolm Wicks

Wicks said: 鈥淭he New and Renewable Energy Centre is setting a fantastic example and I hope many other manufacturing companies will recognise the opportunities a shift to a low carbon economy will create.

鈥淥ffshore wind will play a significant role in helping us meet our challenging targets for a massive increase in the amount of energy generated from renewables.鈥

Margaret Fay, chairman of One NorthEast, added: 鈥淲e are well placed to spearhead the UK鈥檚 development of offshore wind farms. The region has the skills in the offshore sector, the ready-made sites along the rivers for companies to utilise and public sector research and development support to turn the region into a European hub for the fabrication, assembly and delivery of offshore wind turbines.鈥