Newcastle named among communities set to benefit from offshore wind jobs

Newcastle has been named among the communities expected to benefit from new offshore wind investment announced by the government ahead of the Prime Minister's trip to the COP31 Leaders' Summit in Türkiye. Energy company SSE said the latest phase of its Berwick Bank offshore wind farm, known as Berwick Bank B, will support 2,677 skilled jobs in manufacturing, engineering and project delivery across the north of England and Scotland.

SSE has contracted Siemens Energy to manufacture wind turbines and substation platforms for the project. The jobs include 130 new project delivery roles in Glasgow and Montrose. At full capacity, Berwick Bank, off the east coast of Scotland, could become the world's largest offshore wind farm, capable of meeting more than 6% of current UK electricity demand.

SSE chief executive Martin Pibworth said: "Clear political direction, matched by businesses prepared to invest, is translating into real-world investment in British jobs, skills and manufacturing. From Hull, Newcastle and Manchester to Glasgow and Montrose, you can see what that means for communities across the country."

Separately, energy company RWE and investment firm KKR have announced a total investment of £12 billion, believed to be the largest of its kind in UK history, to go ahead with the Vanguard West and Vanguard East offshore wind farms. The projects are expected to support more than 2,400 jobs during construction and operation and, once running by 2030, to have the capacity to supply the equivalent of around three million UK homes. Onshore works are already well advanced, with offshore construction due to begin in early 2027.

The financing includes £1 billion from the National Wealth Fund, the UK's publicly owned policy bank, which is its largest offshore wind investment to date. The government has also announced an additional Energy Wealth Fund, linked to future revenues from the North Sea, which will invest in renewable and low carbon energy projects, starting with £2 billion.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "With coastal communities from Scotland to East Anglia powering Britain's future, the places that host this energy benefit from the jobs and opportunities that it brings."