170-job hopes as JDR Cable Systems unveils £130 million Cambois factory plans

A subsea cable maker has revealed £130 million plans to create 170 jobs at a new North East factory.

JDR Cable Systems (JDR) hopes to open a base in Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland.

Bosses say the plant, which could eventually provide work for 400 people, will help the company expand its product range to meet the growing global renewable energy market.

According to their plans, the factory will be the only one in the UK capable of full start-to-finish manufacturing of high voltage subsea cables for offshore wind farms.

They also say work on the 69,000sq metre plant – which will occupy the site of a former coal-fired power station – is expected to start next year, with its opening earmarked for 2024.

Officials add the £130 million investment will be part funded by a grant from the BEIS Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support scheme, with JDR – and parent firm TFK Group – planning to raise remaining funding with support from financial institutions and UK Export Finance.

Tomasz Nowak, chief executive at JDR, which already has a plant in Hartlepool, said: “As the energy transition gathers pace and the UK’s offshore wind sector continues to thrive, turbines are growing taller and farther from shore, calling for higher voltage subsea cables.

“We’re delighted to build on our legacy as a leading provider of subsea cables to the offshore energy sector by investing in this new facility.

 

 

“We’re also delighted to continue our investment in the North East, and in bringing new jobs to Cambois, Blyth and Northumberland.

“Our proposed facility is strategically located to capitalise on the rapidly growing and largest offshore renewable energy market in Europe.”

Tony Quinn, chair of Energi Coast – the North East’s offshore wind supply chain cluster, added: “We’re delighted that JDR has selected Cambois for such a strategically important investment.

“It will make a significant contribution toward the development of an offshore wind industrial cluster in the North East, strengthening an already well-established supply chain and creating hundreds of high-value jobs.”

Helen Golightly, chief executive at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, called the plans “excellent news”.

She added: “Developing manufacturing capacity and supporting the creation of jobs in the offshore and subsea sector in the region is a strategic priority for us.”