A MEMORANDUM of Understanding is in place to bring wind turbine foundation manufacturer Strabag to Able Marine Energy Park at North Killingholme, it has been revealed.
The Austrian construction giant could create 400 jobs if the strong desire to locate to the South Bank of the Humber is realised.
Interest in the site, where a final Government decision on the consent is imminent, was first reported from the firm in May, when the Telegraph underlined the importance of a YES decision to Transport Secretary Patrick McLaughlin.
The status, the same as that afforded to Siemens by Hull City Council and Associated British Ports on the North Bank, is a major shot in the arm in the drive to establish the Humber as a world-class centre for the renewable energy sector.
If successful, it will be used for the mass production of gravity-based foundations for the offshore wind sector.
Able UK executive chairman Peter Stephenson, said the news demonstrated the huge potential for Able Marine Energy Park (AMEP), at the heart of the country's largest enterprise zone, to become the catalyst for stimulating the UK's shift towards a low-carbon economy.
He said: "We are delighted to be able to now make news of this agreement public. It is, of course, good news for the development of AMEP, but it is equally significant for the Government's ambitions to create a meaningful offshore wind supply chain on the east coast of the UK.
"All aspects of our port development are designed specifically for the offshore renewable energy sector and it provides a unique opportunity for a truly integrated offshore wind cluster that will mitigate risks and costs on a major scale and, critically, increase UK content.
"AMEP has rightly been described by the Prime Minister as a 'very important investment' and there is no doubt that the coming few weeks are crucial with the planning determination for the development and further detail of the Government's energy market reforms."
AMEP, covering 906 acres, is designed to provide 1,279 metres of quayside facilities. In total it will generate around 4,000 jobs.
Able, based in Teesside, has already invested more than £50-million in the first stage of its development which is currently used for vehicle import, storage and distribution activities. The company also has approval for the development of the multi-million pound 1,229 acre Able Logistics Park which will include extensive warehousing and external storage areas, offices, a business park and ancillary services.
The self-imposed Government deadline for a decision on AMEP, for which it is "minded to approve" subject to the satisfactory addressing of concerns raised back in August, is Wednesday, December 18.
