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North Easts gets world’s largest test facility

The North East’s new £15m wind turbine test facility is to be world’s largest.

The New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) in Blyth, Northumberland, will be the first facility capable of testing and verifying turbine blades of up to 100 metres in length for deployment offshore.

Science and innovation minister Lord Drayson said: “We need to attract major investment for wind turbines so that we can build our own wind farms and develop the manufacturing expertise that’s in demand around the world.

“I’m delighted that NaREC will be a major European centre for testing the next generation of new large turbine blades.

“This new facility will create skilled jobs in a high-value sector.”

Work on the site will begin shortly and the new test hall is expected to open in mid-2011.

Existing test facilities will remain open while the new hall is under construction.

It will be available for use by all developers, manufacturers and academia and charges will be levied at a commercial rate.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .