Jobs boost as Kinewell Energy secures Berwick wind farm work

A tech firm says it is perfectly placed to create as many as 70 jobs over the next three years after adding another high-profile contract to its catalogue.

Kinewell Energy is helping SSE Renewables map out its Berwick Bank Wind Farm scheme.

The North Shields company is providing software it says will cut engineering design work time and lower costs and emissions by reducing power cabling requirements.

And bosses say the 945sq km venture, which will have capacity to power more than five million homes, will continue its momentum to create more jobs, with the firm having previously worked with operators across Europe, Japan, South Korea, the US and China.

Dr Andrew Jenkins, founder of Kinewell Energy [pictured, above], said: “We have significantly sped up and improved the process of designing cable layouts for offshore wind farms, and have been blown away by the successes we’ve recorded.

“Over the past five years, we have worked with some of the world’s biggest energy producers, so we’re delighted to be working with SSE Renewables on a project so close to home.

“Our growth trajectory is doubling every year, and if this continues as we expect it will, we anticipate creating up to 70 new jobs over the next three years.

“As a 4.1GW project, Berwick Bank will not only be one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, but it will also play a key role in helping the UK achieve its net-zero ambitions, and we’re all incredibly proud to be playing a part in its development.”

Ross Cottam, ESI package manager at SSE Renewables, added: “Kinewell’s software will allow us to look at ways of optimising the layout of our inter-array cables and offshore substation locations at an earlier stage of the design.”

Development of Kinewell’s software has been supported by funding from the North of Tyne Combined Authority’s TIGGOR programme, delivered by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.