11/5/21 – JDR Cable Systems (JDR), a global subsea cable and umbilical supplier and servicer that is part of the TFK Group, plans to open a new state-of-the-art, 69,000-sq-m subsea cable manufacturing facility in Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland.

A press release said that JDR has confirmed its intention to go ahead with the project, subject to final agreements, with construction expected to begin in 2022 ahead of a 2024 opening, creating 170 local jobs on completion and safe-guarding 270 jobs at JDR’s existing facilities.

The initial project investment is estimated at £130 million, which will be partially funded by a grant from the BEIS Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support (OWMIS) scheme. JDR and TFK plan to raise the remaining funding with support expected from financial institutions and U.K. Export Finance.

The new facility is the first stage of JDR’s plans to expand its product portfolio to support the growing global renewable energy market, adding high voltage export and long length array cables to its existing capacity and product capabilities. Further stages of the development could result in over 400 staff working at the site, with supplied products complementing JDR’s existing capacity provided by the company’s U.K. manufacturing centers in Hartlepool and Littleport. When complete, the facility will include a new catenary continuous vulcanization (CCV) line, making it the only facility in the U.K. capable of full start-to-finish manufacturing of high-voltage subsea cables for offshore wind farms to support the growing global renewable energy market.