The base will employ around 60 people, who will be responsible for the operations and maintenance of the 353MW Galloper offshore wind farm.
The Galloper offshore wind farm is expected to have operational lifetime of more than 20 years.
Located nearly 30km of the coast of Suffolk, the offshore wind farm is expected to generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of around 380,700 British homes.
Galloper O&M Manager Sean Chenery said: “This is great news, not just for Galloper Offshore Wind Farm but also Harwich, Tendring and the wider East coast as it secures long-term jobs and a significant investment for the area.
“We have had a tremendous amount of support from both individuals and organisations including Tendring District Council, The Haven Gateway Partnership, local Members of Parliament and our councillors, not to mention nearby businesses who attended our supply chain events.
“With our O&M base secured, we can now look forward to becoming a fully established member of the community.”
The O&M base will include a control room to monitor and control all wind farm activity as well as a purpose built pontoon for project vessels.
Construction on the base is scheduled to start by the end of the year, with the base and pontoon expected to be completed in late in 2019.
The construction phase of the base is expected to create around 120 local jobs.
Following the start of operational phase of the wind farm, operations and maintenance of the wind farm are currently being handled from temporary facilities in Harwich International Port.
Galloper general manager Guy Middleton said: “We have worked especially closely with statutory bodies, the Marine Management Organisation and Natural England to ensure our proposals met all the necessary planning requirements and so we are delighted to achieve consent and are now eager to progress the plans and move the base into its construction phase.”
