The industrial north of England feels carried by the wind

It is the largest factory of wind turbine blades in the country, and it is running at full speed: in Hull, in the industrial north of England, the Spanish-German manufacturer Siemens-Gamesa is in the midst of expansion work to meet the exploding demand.

The port city, set on the Humber estuary, was once known for its thriving fishing industry. It is now reinventing a destiny in renewable energies, boosted by the country’s objective of eliminating carbon emissions by 2050.

In the shop, Carl Jackson, 56, applies the external coating and paint to wind turbine blades. “We are doing our part to provide cleaner and cheaper energy to everyone,” he told AFP.

“Wind energy will be an important part of the future” and for the city of Hull, it has already “given a huge boost to jobs and the economy”, adds this industrial painter who joined the company when it opened six years ago.

Carl Jackson, industrial paint, at the Siemens-Gamesa factory on January 28, 2022 in Hull, England (AFP/Paul ELLIS)

Wind power is on the rise in the United Kingdom, which is seeking to get rid of a dependence on gas which is driving up energy bills and forcing London to align billions of pounds in aid this winter for the most modest.

Since 2016, some 1,500 blades have come off the production lines, giants 81 meters long, about as much as the wingspan of an Airbus A380.

– A quarter of a wind turbine –

The Siemens-Gamesa group is due to open a factory in the French city of Le Havre in March.

Aerial view of wind turbine blades stored on a quay near the port of Hull on January 28, 2022 in England (AFP / Paul ELLIS)

And if it is expanding in Hull, it is to build even larger blades, 100 meters long: a single rotation can supply electricity to an average-sized house for up to two days.

In the factory, which employs a thousand people, the workers are busy fixing balsa wood, fiberglass and resin in huge molds, which will soon give birth to blades ready to face the strong winds from the North Sea.

A quarter of British electricity is already produced by wind energy, more than the European average (16%) and much more than in France (9%), according to figures from the European lobby WindEurope, dating from 2020.

The share of wind “will continue to grow”, says the director of the plant, Andy Sykes, while according to him the United Kingdom must reduce its carbon emissions while reducing its dependence on energy imports.

Siemens-Gamesa factory manager Andy Sykes on January 28, 2022 in Hull, England (AFP/Paul ELLIS)

In fact, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who hosted COP26, the world climate summit in Scotland, in November, says he wants to make his country “the Saudi Arabia of the wind”.

And in January, the Scottish authorities had granted concessions to 17 offshore wind projects carried by big names in energy, which will increase the production capacities of the United Kingdom.

– Industrial emissions –

But Hull does not stop at wind turbines.

The city is multiplying renewable energy projects: biofuels, green hydrogen, carbon capture, but also solar and tidal energy.

Workers at the Siemens-Gamisa factory work on a wind turbine blade on January 28, 2022 in Hull, England (AFP/Paul ELLIS)

If the community is concerned about reducing carbon emissions, it is because the Humber Estuary region is responsible for 40% of industrial emissions in Great Britain, in particular due to the cement, gas, oil, petrochemicals and the steel industry.

“The decarbonisation of the Hull region is essential” if the United Kingdom wants to achieve carbon neutrality, summarizes Martin Budd, climate manager at the city council of the city, to AFP. The wind turbine blade factory “is a key factor in achieving this”.

Hull is also “the second city most vulnerable to flooding after London”, recalls Mr. Budd. “The survival of this city depends” on its commitment to climate change, he insists.

The UK wants to generate a third of its electricity from wind power by 2030.

Martin Budd, climate manager at Hull City Council, on January 28, 2022 in England (AFP / Paul ELLIS)

But the question of storage is crucial, warns Nick Cowern, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Newcastle, wind or solar energy being dependent on the weather.

“Until we have the option of storing energy in the form of hydrogen – or alternatives like ammonia – and we are not better connected to the electricity grid of our European neighbors (… ) gas will still be needed,” he said.

© 2022 AFP

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