ScottishPower Renewables has awarded two major contracts to support the construction of the £2.5 billion East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm.

Subsea power cables supplier JDR has won a deal to supply 155km of intra-array cables for the project, while Tata Steel's Hartlepool SAW Mill has been chose to supply 4,400 tons of Structural Pipe for the turbine foundations.

Both deals will support 330 jobs in the Hartlepool region, with 200 jobs at JDR's Greenland Road site and around 130 employees at Tata Steel's SAW Mill.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ScottishPower Renewables, said: "The construction of major infrastructure projects, like East Anglia ONE, are critical to underpin the Government's industrial strategy. We need reliable, low cost and low emission sources of electricity in the UK to power growth in all sectors.


“We are delighted that the project continues to support skilled jobs in the UK. Both JDR and Tata Steel are world leaders in their fields, and we are lucky that the North East of England has a highly skilled workforce that can help our project just a few miles down the coast."

David Currie, CEO of JDR, said: "We're delighted to have been awarded the EA1 contract. Our technology group has successfully completed the development, testing and deployment of our 66kV range through 2015 and 2016 by working closely with customers and the industry – resulting in two major project awards in a matter of months."

Andy Hill, Works Manager at Tata Steel's SAW Mills, said: "We are delighted to be part of the supply chain team in support of the East Anglia ONE project and look forward to its successful conclusion."

(LM)