Up to £ 25 million in Government funding to help turbocharge the
Teesside Freeport has today (7 December) been welcomed by Tees
Valley Mayor .
Teesside Freeport, the UK’s largest and first operational
Freeport, will receive the seed funding as Government confirms
its commitment to the project.
It could also see potentially tens of millions of pounds in
locally retained business rates to continue to drive growth in
renewables, advanced manufacturing and the chemicals and process
sectors, creating thousands of jobs.
With its heart at Teesworks – the UK’s largest industrial zone –
but covering 4,500 acres at sites right across the region,
including Wilton International, Europe’s second largest
petrochemical complex, and Teesside International Airport among
others, the Freeport has already secured multimillion-pound
investments.
Work has already begun on SeAH Wind Ltd’s £450million offshore
wind monopile manufacturing facility at the Freeport that will
create around 750 direct jobs and a further 1,500 during
construction and in the supply chain.
At Teesside Airport’s Freeport, global aviation giant Willis
Lease Finance Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary Willis
Aviation Services Limited will create an up to £25million
cutting-edge aircraft maintenance facility and state-of-the-art
Jet Centre.
At Wilton International’s zone, Alkemy Capital is set to
establish its £200million lithium hydroxide refinery – a key
component of car batteries – and Nova Pangaea will its first
commercial bioethanol facility and headquarters to assist in
sustainable aviation fuel production. AV Dawson has also invested
£10million to improve its facilities at its Port of Middlesbrough
Freeport.
Tees Valley Mayor said: “The Teesside Freeport,
the UK’s biggest and first operational, has already welcomed its
first consignment and this funding boost that comes with the
final rubber stamp will go a long way in driving forward our
game-changing ambitions, with its impact felt right across
Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.
“SeAH’s mammoth offshore monopile production facility is well
under way, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with companies
of all types realising the huge opportunity it presents and now
looking to call our region home.
“This will help deliver thousands of good-quality, well-paid jobs
and mark our region out as the only place to do business in the
cleaner, safer and healthier industries of tomorrow.”
In September, the South Bank at Teesworks received a shipment of
around 100 tonnes of steel, marking the first activity of a
Freeport anywhere in the UK. Partners worked with local shipping
and trading company Blackwood Biofuels & Logistics to deliver
the cargo, bound for local manufacturing companies.
Levelling Up Minister said: “Today is a
historic day for Teesside and for the whole of UK, as the
Teesside Freeport is officially fully up and running.
“Teesside Freeport is already delivering for the local area and
beyond – the trade hub will supply parts for the world’s biggest
offshore windfarm which will create jobs and power homes.
“We are maximising the opportunities of leaving the European
Union to drive growth and boost innovation and investment in the
UK.”
It is estimated that the Freeport will create more than 18,000
new highly skilled jobs and generate billions of pounds for the
region. It will have access to a share of £200million of
government funding to support the region’s levelling up ambitions
and become the UK’s clean energy powerhouse.
