Massive contract for Hartlepool cable firm

Signing their contract are (left to right) Peter Steen Ejler and Duncan Clark (Dong Energy) with Ivan Coward and John Prince (JDR Cables). Picture by FRANK REID

JDR, which supplies subsea power cables, has secured a deal to provide more than 150 miles of cables for the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.

And that means enough work to last for the next three to six months for the Greenland Road plant in Hartlepool.

Signing their contract are sitting (left to right) Peter Steen Ejler and Duncan Clark (Dong Energy) with Ivan Coward and John Prince (JDR Cables). as (standing left to right) Jonathon Chambers (DE), Greg Brown, Adam Wells Paul Marsh (JDR), Anders Kornum Olsen, Jacob Haase and John Pattison (DE) Picture by FRANK REID

The deal has been awarded by DONG Energy which wants JDR to supply subsea power cables for the Hornsea Project One.

When it is finished, the Hornsea wind farm will meet the electricity needs of well over 1 million UK homes - and JDR will have supplied more than two thirds of all the cables in it.

Hornsea is based 74 miles off the Yorkshire coast.

JDR chief executive David Currie said the deal demonstrated that the firm was a leader in the array cable market and it was the second award for JDR under its partnership agreements with DONG Energy.

He added: “We are proud to play a key role in this world-leading infrastructure project and continue our dedicated support to ensuring success for DONG Energy.”

Richard Turner, JDR’s chief operating officer, described the Hornsea Project One as “a major milestone for JDR as it is the largest array cable contract award in our history. It is also a significant step towards the

Government’s aspirations to increase the role of renewable energy in the UK’s energy mix.”

Hornsea Project One will be first wind farm to exceed 1 GW capacity.

The deal is the largest array cable award in JDR’s history. As well as the cables, JDR will provide other accessories for the site.

Earlier this year, JDR Cables revealed to the Hartlepool Mail how it had formed a five-year strategy which includes expanding its capacity for renewable power cables and adding a dedicated new facility for subsea production umbilicals.

The firm has enjoyed phenomenal growth since opening in Hartlepool in 2008, expanding from 97,000 sq ft of warehouse space to more than 280,000 sq ft.

It now employs more than 200 people, became Hartlepool’s Business of the Year at the Hartlepool Business Awards in May.