An advanced wind turbine test facility will be built in Blyth, Northumberland, as part of an £86m investment by the UK government in wind power R&D facilities.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced a £86m investment in an advanced wind turbine blade and drive train testing facility based at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth, Northumberland.

This new facility will test, validate and certify wind turbines, including the largest 150-metre ‘super’ blades. To put that in perspective, 150 metres is three times the wingspan of the Angel of the North.

There is also potential for the facility to be expanded further as the existing 100-metre blade test facility can be repurposed to increase capacity.

The investment will also go towards upgrading the current drive train test facility to enable it to test turbine generators operating up to 23MW, with a capacity for further expansion to 28MW should industry require it.

“This investment...