A NORTH-EAST firm will deliver alternative electricity generation technology for a workshop at the heart of a multi-million pound scheme to transform a historic dock into a working marina.

Durham County Council has awarded the Seaham North Dock project contract to Blaydon-based Inherent Energy.

The £3.2m dock project will include workshop space for up to 12 businesses, including a cafe, and pontoons for more than 70 boats.

Inherent Energy will supply and install solar photovoltaic modules.

These will ensure that a significant proportion of the workshop’s electricity will come from renewable energy sources.

Photovoltaic modules will be incorporated into much of the glazing around the building, providing shading where required and generating electricity.

Chris Hughes, director of Inherent Energy, said: “This project represents a flagship example of precisely what can be achieved using renewable energy technology together with an innovative design solution.

“The integration of photovoltaics in the fabric of the building will not only ensure that the cost of electricity will be lower but that resulting carbon dioxide emissions will also be reduced.”

The marina scheme, which will also include the installation of dock gates to replace a pair removed during the Fifties, is the second phase of the dock’s redevelopment following its reopening to the public in 2005.

It is part of the council’s plan to develop its economic and cultural potential as a heritage-based tourist attraction.

A spokesman for Durham County Council said: “We are committed to ensuring the sustainability and protection of the environment.

“The regeneration taking place across Seaham generally, and the North Dock area in particular, is progressing well.

“We are adhering tightly to our self-imposed stringent environmental guidelines.

“The council is delighted to work with Inherent Energy.

“It is a local firm with a solid reputation, on the integration of photovoltaics into the innovative design of the workshop building on the North Dock.

“This will not only enhance the modern look of the building, but will ensure that much of the energy generated will come from a renewable energy source.

“We will endeavour, where we can, to implement sustainability throughout this regeneration project.”

Seaham Port was built between 1828 and 1884 for the shipment of coal from the east Durham coalfields.

When the last pits closed in the early Nineties, the port developed a market in handling bulk raw materials, with operations concentrated in the South Dock.

The North Dock, meanwhile, became a commercial fishing port.

The dock was closed to the public in the late Nineties, but its reopening in 2005 enabled sea anglers and owners of small boats to return.

County Durham-based construction firm Lumsden and Carroll has been appointed to carry out the work, which is due to be completed this year.

Jointly funded by regional development agency One North East through County Durham Economic Partnership, Be Enterprising and the county council, the marina development is one of a number of projects designed to breathe new life into Seaham.