UK Science, Research, and Innovation Minister, Andrew Griffith, has announced the establishment of a new wind turbine test facility in Blyth, Northumberland, as part of an £86 million investment in wind power research and development (R&D) facilities.
Situated at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre, the facility will focus on testing, validating, and certifying turbines. The funding will be allocated towards constructing a 150-metre blade test facility, designed to replicate the challenging conditions experienced at sea. There are plans for potential expansion to 180 metres in the future. Additionally, the existing 100-metre blade test facility will be repurposed to increase capacity. The investment will also support the enhancement of the drive train test facility, currently capable of testing turbine generators of 15 MW up to 23 MW, with a potential upgrade to 28 MW in the future should the industry demand it. This initiative is expected to generate at least 30 new jobs in Blyth and support the completion of five PhDs annually. The new facility aims to be fully operational by 2028.
