Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Ming Yang Smart Energy has confirmed it will invest up to £1.5 billion building a wind turbine manufacturing facility in Scotland which could create up to 1,500 jobs.
The company said the move will create the UK’s “first integrated offshore wind turbine manufacturing facility and bring key parts of the renewables supply chain to the UK”.
It has identified a number oif sites for the factory, with Ardersier Port in Inverness regarded as the preferred option.
The company last month signed an agreement with Octopus, the electricity supplier, to explore opportunities for it to use Ming Yang’s technology for some of its wind projects.
The arrival of Chinese renewable technology has proved controversial across Europe. Last year, the European Commission launched a review into Chinese turbine manufactures in response to industry concerns that cheaper imports could threaten the competitiveness of European firms.
Britain’s Energy Minister Ed Miliband visited China earlier this year to discuss climate and energy issues, and has said it would be negligent to not engage with China on climate issues.
The Scottish development is being planned in three phases, with the first £750m stage expected to begin production of nacelles and blades by late 2028.
Later phases will see the facility expanded to create an ‘offshore wind industry ecosystem’ around the hub, including “infrastructure to serve the deployment of floating offshore technology at scale”.
Mingyang Group chairman Zhang Chuanwei said: “As a global leader in wind technology, Mingyang is committed to accelerating the global energy transition through innovation and community-focused comprehensive energy solutions.
“We are excited by the prospect of investing in the UK and look forward to finalising our investment decision.”
UK chief Aman Wang added: “We firmly believe that by moving forward with our plans to create jobs, skills and a supply chain in the UK, we can make this country the global hub for offshore wind technology.
“We fully support the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower, and I’m confident that once the plans are approved we can make a valued contribution to this goal.”
The company said it has held extensive discussions with the UK and Scottish governments over the last two years on its plans, as well as detailed commercial discussions with Great British Energy, the National Wealth Fund, the Scottish National Investment Bank, the Crown Estate and UK Export Finance.
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