Campbeltown wind turbine tower steel fabricators CS Wind UK and Swedish state-owned wind farm developer Vattenfall signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing both to co-operation over potential future contract and supply opportunities for Vattenfall’s UK development pipeline. The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Paul Wheelhouse MSP, the Scottish Government’s Energy Minister, at Campbeltown Town Hall before the start of a major investment by CS Wind UK today (7th July) to increase capacity in its Machrihanish facility.
The company is due to break ground on a major new £27 million investment today (7 July) at the 15 year old facility which will increase production volume for onshore wind and allow for the fabrication of larger diameter towers for the offshore wind sector. The facility upgrade follows the acquisition in April this year of Wind Towers (Scotland) by the South Korean manufacturer CS Wind Corporation.
“This MoU is the start of a great collaboration between CS Wind UK and Vattenfall, which has the potential to secure local jobs within the community and see the companies working together on a number of onshore and offshore wind projects in the future” said Mr Wheelhouse, Scottish Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy. “The £27 million investment undertaken by CS Wind UK, which will increase production capacity at the Campbeltown plant, highlights the importance of both the onshore and offshore wind sectors to the Scottish economy. I warmly welcome this important collaboration which will help to deliver on our aim to capture, for Scottish engineering and the wider renewables supply chain, a far greater share of the economic value arising from the construction phase of wind energy projects.”
Lesley Black, Head of UK Sales for CS Wind added that the agreement marks an exciting time for the company with the start of significant investment in the factory. This will ensure high quality, cost competitive towers for both on and offshore wind projects being built in the UK. The MoU with Vattenfall is another strong signal that UK manufacturers and suppliers have an important part to play in the development of wind farm projects and it is encouraging that developers like Vattenfall, who are seeking to develop projects in the UK, are using UK suppliers where possible for large components, thereby securing jobs and a long-term future for local economies. The MoU will give CS Wind UK the opportunity to tender for tower supply contracts on future Vattenfall onshore wind farm projects. Vattenfall has also committed to discuss further opportunities associated with its UK offshore wind projects.
The Scottish wind sector has grown significantly, making an important economic contribution to the Scottish economy, thanks to continued support from the Scottish Government. This has in turn attracted major companies like CS Wind UK, employing nearly 200 local people, which are making substantial investments in the Scottish economy.
Vattenfall is developing a number of onshore wind farms in the UK. If constructed, its onshore wind farm development projects in Scotland alone would require an excess of 100 towers. The company is also developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre off Aberdeen, consisting of 11 turbines. It is also due to start the planning process on its 1.8 GW Norfolk Vanguard wind farm in the North Sea.
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