The huge 800,000 sq ft facility, in the South Bank zone of the Teesworks site, will sit alongside a new 1km heavy lift quay, creating the UK’s premier location for offshore wind.

Construction is due to begin in October sustaining 2,250 construction jobs before the factory comes on line.

The first blade is expected to roll off the production line in 2023, with the factory serving Dogger Bank, the world’s largest wind farm located just 80 miles off the North East coast.

Planned GE blade manufacturing plant in Teesside

LM Wind Power will operate the facility, which will be dedicated to the production of its 107-metre-long offshore wind turbine blades.

These are a key component of GE’s Haliade-X, the most powerful offshore wind turbine built today and used at Dogger Bank, the world’s largest wind farm, located just 80 miles off the North East coast.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It’s fantastic news that this mammoth project has passed the planning hurdle and is on course to be up and running by 2023, helping to create thousands of well-paid, good-quality jobs for people across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool both directly and in our brilliant supply chain businesses.

“We have been working hard to get the land ready for this exciting opportunity and now GE Renewable Energy can get the spades in the ground to make this a reality, bringing a much-needed boost to the construction sector as we recover our economy from the coronavirus pandemic.

“I want Teesside to be as synonymous with clean energy and Net Zero as Silicon Valley is for tech and social media, and from offshore wind to hydrogen fuels of the future we’re powering ahead like no other region in the country.”