King Charles III visited SeAH Wind’s monopile factory in Teesside as part of a royal visit to Teesside.
Construction of the £950m factory on the banks of the river Tees is nearly completed, and is expected to begin operations building monopiles for offshore wind turbines later this year.
As part of National Apprenticeship Week, the King met many people training for roles in the wind turbine manufacturing sector, with a focus on welding and the heavy engineering skills required for monopile construction.
He unveiled a plaque commemorating his visit in front of staff at the factory.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It’s a great honour and a privilege to welcome His Majesty through our airport to our mighty region.
It marked nine years since the King’s last visit to the region, and to the site, which was then home to the disused Redcar steelworks. The steelworks closed in 2015 leading to the loss of 2,000 jobs.
Lord Houchen chairs public body the South Tees Development Corporation (STDC), which has been responsible for decontaminating the site, known as Teesworks, and clearing it ready for redevelopment. Teesworks hopes to become a centre-point for the UK’s green energy sector.
In November, the UK government committed to support Net Zero Teesside – a gas-fired power station also at Teesworks, with carbon capture and storage to be added. Construction has begun on the power station.
“We’ve made huge strides across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool since his last visit.
Steelworks site revival
“We hit a new low when the steelworks shut, but from the work we’ve done to revive our former steelworks as a powerhouse for thousands of good well-paid jobs, to the huge efforts we’re taking to turn around our airport and help it grow and thrive through more flights, it’s wonderful to show our King how far we’ve come.
“It does not go unnoticed the attention His Majesty has paid to our region and I am forever grateful for his support.
“We’ve laid the groundwork and come a long way – and I sincerely hope we can welcome the King and Queen back soon to show them just how much further we can go.”
Teesworks Ltd is the company vehicle responsible for marketing the site. It was a 50-50 joint venture between STDC and two local businessmen, Chris Musgrave and Martin Corney. The businessmen were later given 90% equity in the company for free, leading to accusations of corruption.
A government review into the deal published in January 2024 found no evidence of corruption or illegality, but raised concerns about governance from the public sector, and the lack of liabilities taken on by the private partners.
Teesworks Ltd CEO Martin Corney said: “We were thrilled that the King was able to visit Teesworks and see for himself the incredible progress which has been made in transforming the site into an internationally significant clean energy hub.
“Things have changed an awful lot since the King was last here and not just in terms of the site itself – speaking to the apprentices on site, the King was able to hear at firsthand how Teesworks and developments like SeAH Wind are creating brighter futures for the people of this area.
“With the King’s keen interest in the environment, it was great for him to see how the SeAH Wind factory is close to completion and to becoming a major centre for producing monopiles for offshore wind farms.”
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