Subsea supplier JDR Cables has committed to its Hartlepool base for another 15 years, in a move it says will support the local workforce.
The power cable and umbilicals maker has extended a contract with hosts PD Ports for its 300,000 sqft flagship site, where it employs 280 people. PD Ports said the move - along with investment in recent years - will mean the firm can build on its 66kV product range to offer 132kV and 150kV cabling.
JDR has been at the Port of Hartlepool for past 15 years, during which time it has established itself as key supplier to the offshore energy market and built revenues from £33.2m to £101.6m. Investment of £3m into a vertical lay up machine at the site boosted the firm's capabilities in manufacturing long length cables, meaning it can produce static array cables for fixed foundation wind and dynamic cables for the growing offshore floating wind industry.
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JDR is currently under way with the construction of an additional, £130m factory at Cambois, near Blyth, which promises 170 jobs. In November it said it had hit several construction milestones at the Energy Central site where it will be capable of manufacturing both land and subsea cables used to connect offshore wind farms to the energy grid.
Mark Braybrooke, chief operating officer at JDR Cables, said: “As a UK-based company, we take pride in our pivotal role in enhancing the local economy of the North East and the broader UK. Our commitment extends to supporting local workforces and fortifying our supply chains. Operating from our Hartlepool facility, we are dedicated to contributing to the growth of the renewable energy sector, fortifying the UK’s position in offshore wind manufacturing and leading the export of new subsea power and control connection technologies to the global offshore energy sector.”
John McCabe, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: “The extension of JDR Cables’ lease at Port of Hartlepool provides a huge boost to the region’s renewable energy sector, as well as our local economy. The move secures 280 jobs and reaffirms the company’s commitment to establishing Hartlepool as a global manufacturing site.
"With our highly skilled, regional workforce and thriving supply chains, the port is ideally placed to position the company, as well as the North East, front and centre of the offshore energy industry."
PD Ports said the JDR deal solidified Hartlepool's position as a hub for the offshore renewables sector. The Port is home to Teesside Windfarm Ltd and Strabag.
