PD Ports welcomes the Crown Estate’s announcement on the Round 6 offshore auction by confirming its planned ‘Teesport Offshore Gateway’ – a large deep-water offshore wind manufacturing and assembly facility on the River Tees – as the natural landing point for the next phase of the UK’s offshore wind programme.

With the central North Sea licence plots – expected to bring 6GW of capacity to market – located closest to the River Tees, Teesport Offshore would provide the scale and deep-water access that the UK currently lacks for the assembly, manufacture and deployment of fixed and floating offshore wind.

Economic modelling indicates the facility would add £270 million (GVA) per year to the local economy and support the creation of more than 2,200 direct and indirect jobs.

The development would be the largest and most capable offshore wind port facility in the UK, with berths up to 1km in length, 16m depth, and up to 300 acres of supporting land in the heart of PD Ports’ Teesport estate.

Teesport Offshore Gateway could be online as early as 2028, once a final investment decision to proceed is agreed.

The new development sits within an established offshore wind and port manufacturing cluster across Teesport and Hartlepool, including JDR Cables’ subsea cable facility, EDF’s offshore wind operations base and major fabrication activity from SEAH and Able.

PD Ports already holds consents for deep-water berth development on the site, currently undergoing a planning variation for offshore wind use.

Advanced discussions are underway with developers, manufacturers and installation partners, with strong market appetite for Teesport Offshore Gateway.

Frans Calje, Chief Executive Officer at PD Ports, said:

“Today’s announcement underlines the Government’s ambition in offshore wind. What the sector now needs is the port infrastructure to match.

“Teesport Offshore Gateway can fill a critical gap in the UK’s offshore wind supply chain. We have the site, the consents, the deep water access and an established industrial cluster around us.

“We can be operational by 2028, directly supporting the Clean Power 2030 mission and creating more than 2,200 jobs and £270m GVA per year across Teesside.

“The deep-water port would also secure a decisive competitive advantage for the UK, capable of taking the largest vessels and wind turbine generators along the East Coast.”

PD Ports will continue to engage with Government, the Crown Estate, Great British Energy, the National Wealth Fund and industry partners to finalise the investment framework needed to bring Teesport Offshore Gateway forward.