Liberty House Group has acquired Mabey Bridge Renewables, which shut down its business in 2015, and will use its equipment at a new manufacturing centre to supply steel parts to the UK’s tidal lagoon power and offshore wind markets.
The manufacturing centre, which will supply turbine casings for tidal lagoon projects and tubular steel structures for offshore wind turbines, will be supported by two Scottish steel plants, Dalzell and Clydebridge, which the company acquired from Tata Steel in April 2016.
The casings will be produced for Tidal Lagoon Power, in whose holding company established to finance the development of full-scale tidal lagoons in UK, Tidal Lagoon Plc, Liberty’s sister company SIMEC acquired a stake at beginning of this year, according to Wales Online .
Both RenewableUK and Scottish Renewables welcomed the news.
RenewableUK’s Chief Executive, Hugh McNeal , said: “This is great news and shows how the renewable industry can provide a market for steel produced in Britain. The growth of renewables in the UK is a huge opportunity for British businesses, as high demand for quality steel has increased.”
Jenny Hogan , Director of Policy at Scottish Renewables, said: “Renewable energy already supports 21,000 Scottish jobs, and it’s good news that a number of those employed at steel-works in Motherwell and Cambuslang could soon be joining the industry’s supply chain.”
Liberty House has started recruitment for the newly reopened Dalzell and Clydebridge steel plants at the beginning of this month, before the production restarts at the plants. Liberty said it hopes to re-employ some of the ex-Tata employees who lost their jobs when the plate plants were mothballed in October 2015.