Consultation launched on £923 million cable hub plans

Plans for a £923 million subsea cable making hub are poised to move a step forward.

LS Eco Advanced Cables Ltd has launched a public consultation period on a blueprint to create a high-voltage power line base at Port of Tyne.

Bosses say the venture would create 500 direct jobs and a thousand supply chain roles, adding it would “put the North East at the heart of the UK’s clean energy transition”.

Planned for Port of Tyne’s south side, they add the endeavour would help move energy from offshore wind farms to UK shores.

The development would feature a number of manufacturing and testing buildings, as well as a 202-metre tower for cable stretching and sheathing.

The five-week consultation period comes a year after the factory plans were unveiled, and North East mayor Kim McGuinness said the proposals hold potential to deliver a similar effect on the region’s economy as its shipbuilding heyday.

She said: “This long-term investment will create a new industrial icon – a symbol of our ambition on a global scale to compare with the Swan Hunter cranes that once overlooked the Tyne. 

“This is a hugely exciting project for the region and shows we are building for the future, that we are the home of green energy and that we are open for business with the world.

“LS Eco Advanced Cables will truly establish the North East as the home of the green energy revolution.”

Matt Beeton, Port of Tyne chief executive, said: “The proposed factory is a huge generational employment opportunity for people in the North East and complements the region’s impressive advanced manufacturing sector.

“It demonstrates the ability of the region to attract significant international investors to support the clean energy transition.”

Sangdon Lee, LS Eco Advanced Cables’ director, said: “We’re delighted as a joint venture to be proposing this facility for a subsea cable development – but we must make sure it works for the local community. 

“That’s why we deeply value the input of everyone in the area to this consultation and encourage people to share their views and shape the future of this project.”

Consultation events will take place on Tuesday, May 27, from 4.30pm until 8.30pm at One Trinity Green, in South Shields; and on Wednesday, May 28, between 4.30pm and 8.30pm at Cedarwood Trust, in North Shields.

Alternatively, interested parties can visit www.lseac-southtyneside.com

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