Fabrication firm Offshore Group Newcastle is hoping to move into offshore wind foundation manufacturing at its yard on the Tyne.
The firm has submitted plans for a £50million 36,000sq.m (387,0 00sq.ft) facility which would build foundations for the industry, creating about 1,000 jobs.
It is hoped construction could start next year on the site of the firm’s Hadrian Yard B fabrication halls and be up and running in 2014.
The firm is expected to start construction of a prototype Triton deepwater jacket foundation for turbines later this year.
Triton is being designed and developed by sister company, Aquind, at OGN’s Hadrian Yard site at Wallsend.
OGN still builds for the currently buoyant North Sea oil and gas sector.