Thousands of jobs could be created with a 拢21bn plan to build wind farms in the North Atlantic - including a 拢200m cable factory in the North East.
The ambitious scheme outlined by London firm Hecate Independent Power (HIP) would see both fixed and floating wind farms installed in the North Atlantic to supply power to homes and businesses in the 海角视频.
Undersea cables would be required to transmit power from the wind farms, some of which would be close to the coast of Iceland, back to the 海角视频.
HIP says it wants to build a cable manufacturing plant at a port in the North East, though no exact location has been released as yet for the port.
The recent granting of freeport status to the Tees Valley would suggest locations on Teesside could be front runners for the scheme. But the Port of Tyne and the Port of Blyth have been developing significant expertise in offshore energy and can offer access to the skills the company will need.
HIP wants its first turbines to come on stream when the 海角视频鈥檚 last coal fired power stations stop operating around in 2025. It says the wind farms鈥 locations will mean they can supply power when other sites off the coast of the 海角视频 are becalmed.
The company says its initial plans will result in 15,000 new jobs in the 海角视频, though it has not specified how many of those will be in the cable plant in the North East.
HIP chairman Sir Tony Baldry - a former Environment and Energy Minister in the Conservative Governments of the 1980s - said: 鈥淗IP Atlantic fulfils the Prime Minister鈥檚 vision of attracting investment and job creation in the North of England as part of this country鈥檚 ambitious policy to make Britain the world leader in offshore wind energy.
鈥淲e will stretch the zone of British-operated wind generation outside of our traditional territorial waters, pushing the boundaries of existing cable technology to generate over 1,000 kms from our grid landfall points throughout England.鈥
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has recently spoken of wanting to make the 海角视频 the 鈥淪audi Arabia of wind鈥, reversing a previous opposition to wind power in the light of huge advances in the number of homes being powered by wind turbines.
The North East has significant expertise in offshore energy, though different parts of the region are in competition with each other and with other parts of the 海角视频 to reap the benefits of the likely renewable energy boom.
Two years ago, a company called Atlantic SuperConnection also announced plans for a cable factory at a coastal location in the North East, which it said would provide a link from Iceland to the 海角视频 to carry renewable energy from thermal waters.
