HARTLEPOOL, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Charles Hendry, Minister of State for Energy along with Iain Wright, MP for Hartlepool visited the JDR Cable Systems facility at Hartlepool Docks this week, as the company showcased its increasingly significant contribution to the renewable energy sector.
JDR has supplied subsea cables for many landmark offshore renewable energy projects and the minister’s visit coincided with the first load out of over 200km of cables that the company is manufacturing for the London Array Windfarm, one of the world’s largest offshore wind farm projects.
“We were delighted to welcome the Minister of State for Energy to explain the work that we’ve been doing to support the sector. The UK Government is committed to providing 15% of all electricity supply from renewable energy sources by 2020 and at JDR, we’ve been making significant investments to ensure that we’re positioned to play a leading role in this drive for clean, green energy. We’re deploying the technology of the future, for the energy of the future and we’re leading the way.” commented Patrick Phelan, Managing Director - Commercial, JDR Cable Systems.
During his tour around the JDR facility, the Energy Minister commented “It’s exciting to find a British company offering subsea cabling which is such a critically important part of the offshore energy infrastructure. It was great to see a company responding to the opportunities in this sector so quickly, going from scratch to shipping out these cables in under three years. JDR is a perfect example of how we want to see British industry moving forward. “
JDR continues to improve its position as a valued partner in the renewables sector, having recently commissioned its new vertical laying up machine (VLM). The VLM significantly increases JDR’s capability to manufacture longer length medium and high voltage alternating current export (HVAC) cable for the rapidly growing offshore wind energy market.
“High voltage export cables are a bottleneck in the supply chain for offshore wind farms and we are delighted that, as a result of our investment in the new VLM and 4000te capacity carousels, we shall soon have the capability to manufacture this vital connection right here in the UK.” Phelan added.
Local MP, Iain Wright concluded “The people of Hartlepool should be immensely proud of what JDR is doing in making sure that we have an energy infrastructure that’s fit for the 21st century. Hartlepool will shine over the next 50 years by embracing the hi tech engineering sector, particularly in terms of renewables. There is no better example than JDR Cables Systems either locally or nationally.”
About JDR Cable Systems
JDR is a leading provider of custom-designed and manufactured static and dynamic subsea power cables and umbilical systems for a broad range of applications throughout the oil and gas sector and offshore renewable energy industry.
Last year, JDR was granted a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This special award is in recognition of the company’s success in International Trade.