Yorkshire construction firm to deliver offshore wind giant's new “state-of-the-art” facility

RWE has appointed Humber-based firm Hobson & Porter to complete the construction of its new “state-of-the-art” operations and maintenance facility known as the Grimsby Hub.

The multi-million pound contract includes an extension to the existing Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm operations base located at Grimsby’s Royal Dock, and includes the creation of a new Centralised Control Room (CCR) to oversee the operation of the vast majority of RWE’s UK Offshore portfolio.

RWE announced the creation of the Grimsby Hub back in 2021, marking a major strategic commitment to the UK’s east coast. As well as Triton Knoll, RWE’s 1.4 gigawatt (GW) Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, currently under construction, will also locate its operations and maintenance activities to the new hub in the future.

In total, RWE expects the new facility will accommodate around 140 RWE employees, with potentially around 70 new local jobs created, plus indirect jobs required in support. The Grimsby Hub will also enable the company to strengthen its relationship with the region’s businesses and local communities, by committing to a longer-term presence in the area.

The location of the Grimsby Hub was chosen because of its proximity to existing and future projects and its deep-water quayside, which is suited to the use of Service Operations Vessels (SOVs). Construction is due to commence shortly and will take around one year to complete.

Guy Middleton, RWE general manager for the Grimsby Hub, commented: “We are thrilled to have Hobson & Porter onboard to complete the extensive construction works required to extend the existing Triton Knoll facilities.

“It is great to have been able to award the contract to a local firm which brings a wealth of experience to the project. We can’t wait for construction to finish and provide even more locally based, skilled jobs for the region.”

Hobson & Porter is an award-winning construction firm operating across the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire region and shares a lot of the same principles as RWE including being community focused, environmentally proactive and they have a longstanding commitment to develop skills and training.

Joe Booth, business development director for Hobson & Porter, added: ““This project will take our business revenues from the offshore wind industry beyond £25m in recent years having previously delivered the adjacent East Coast Hub for Orsted and the Aura Innovation centre in Hessle for The University of Hull; plus a number of other smaller projects.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily