The metro mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, yesterday (5 December) visited K2 Construction Management’s Teesside site, the home of its £450m monopile manufacturing facility under development on behalf of SeAH Wind Ltd.
On the behind-the-scenes tour, Mayor Houchen learned that K2 and its construction and engineering partners had now taken on almost 200 employees, with 80% being local and living within a 30-mile radius. At the height of construction, K2 anticipate 1,500 people to be employed directly and within the supply chain.
Construction of two new concrete batching plants is now complete to supply the materials for the 1.1msq ft facility. Development of the plants cost £3m – with each set to produce 120 cubic metres of concrete every hour. Project contractors Hanson designed and built the structures, with Bauer and Keller taking the material for piling and Rainton Construction using it for caps and slabs.
During the tour, Mr Houchen witnessed the huge piling process that is now well underway with 15 specialist rigs in operation. More than 6,100 piles need to be drilled and each pile could be up to 1m in diameter with some piles as deep as 35m.
Facilities for staff are also now up and running with a subsidised canteen, TVs installed for the World Cup and PPE drying rooms and heated coat racks for workers all available.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “The SeAH project is a vital piece of our Teesworks jigsaw. It’s great to see how far it has come just months on from the first spade going in the ground in summer.
“Skilled engineers and workers, who’ve had to travel for hundreds of miles from Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool in the past, are now working close to home on a game-changing scheme with excellent facilities on offer in well-paid jobs.
“We are driving forward with cleaner, safer, and healthier industries of the future.
Developers are making the most of our expertise and know-how, and local workers can secure good jobs closer to the place they know and love.”
K2 Senior Project Manager Glenn Forbes said: “Through active engagement with our project partners and by harnessing the power of our teams we’re proud to be creating a model working environment, delivering genuine value and benefits to our clients and partners.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be developing this world-class facility on behalf of SeAH. More than 1,500 local people will soon be employed across this site in turn making a huge economic impact in our local area.”