UK planning authorities have approved plans for GE Renewable Energy's offshore wind blade manufacturing plant in Teeside.

Construction on the manufacturing plant is expected to begin later this year. The facility will be operated by LM Wind Power and will be focused on the production of GE's 107-meter offshore wind blade as a component of the Haliade-X offshore wind turbine.

“We are delighted to have received this important approval from the Local Planning Authorities and are thankful for the collaboration between all parties involved, including Teesworks and the South Tees Development Corporation," LM Wind Power CEO Olivier Fontan said. "There is still a lot of work in front of us but this an important milestone for the construction and future opening of the facility. We are proud of the contribution we will be making in rejuvenating this industrial cluster and helping it play a key role in future of renewable energy.”

With this approval, the offshore wind blade manufacturing plant is expected to be operational in 2023. The project is expected to directly generate 750 jobs.

Blades manufactured at the facility will support the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm which, once completed in 2026, will have an installed generation capacity of 3.6 GW. Dogger Bank will be the world's largest offshore wind farm.