GE Vernova has announced a major expansion of its manufacturing facilities expected to create around 600 jobs across the country – with almost all of them based in Stafford.
The energy equipment manufacturing and services company is making the investment to meet the increasing demand for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems.
It says the expansion will help to power renewable energy projects throughout Europe, Asia and North America, while also supporting the UK’s energy transition and will ensure that Stafford continues to be a critical hub for the production of clean energy technologies.
The expansion focuses on two key sites of its Electrification Systems’ Grid Solutions business in Stafford.
The HVDC facility at Redhill is expected to double its valve manufacturing capacity to support the growing demand for HVDC systems. This will see the installation of an additional Voltage-Sourced Converter valve assembly line.
Meanwhile, the Stafford Transformer facility at Lichfield Road will undergo significant upgrades to boost capacity and enhance its ability to produce HVDC converter transformers, critical for integrating renewable energy into the grid.
Transformers produced at this site have recently been installed in the North Sea to support the 1.4 GW Sofia Offshore Wind Farm.
Philippe Piron, CEO of GE Vernova’s Electrification Systems business, said: “Helping our customers deliver sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy to people worldwide is central to GE Vernova’s mission.
“By expanding our Stafford operations, we are strengthening our ability to support the energy transition in the UK and the rest of the world and creating new jobs as a result.”
This expansion marks GE Vernova’s second major round of investment in its Stafford site. In 2018, the company built one of the world’s most advanced HVDC valve test facilities and a control system testing facility, which now supports large-scale testing and validation of HVDC systems for projects across Europe and beyond.
As part of this expansion, GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business expects to have created around 600 new jobs in the UK from 2023 to the end of 2025, including hundreds of engineers and skilled craftsmen to support the assembly and testing of the valves.
Recruitment is already underway, and this phase of the expansion is due to complete at the end of next year.
GE Vernova has three manufacturing sites in Stafford – the third being a Grid Automation site at Redhill.
The firm, which has 25,000 employees across Europe, also runs another major manufacturing facility in Rugby.
