RenewableUK, the renewable energy trade association, is highlighting a raft of job announcements in the wind industry in January, bucking the national trend.
On 31st January, Samsung announced a £100 million project in Scotland to develop its new 7 megawatt offshore turbine at Fife Energy Park, which will employ up to 500 people. It’s the company’s first venture of this type in Europe.
Samsung has also teamed up with Huddersfield-based David Brown Gear Systems in a multimillion pound deal to design and manufacture gearboxes for the new turbine. Samsung praised David Brown as “renowned worldwide for its superior expertise”, highlighting the global reputation of a British manufacturer in this dynamic sector.
Also in January, the wind turbine manufacturer Vestas submitted a planning application to build a factory at Sheerness in Kent which will create 2,000 jobs when it opens in 2015. The company’s announcement marks a key step along that road.
The onshore wind turbine tower manufacturer Mabey Bridge, based in Chepstow, announced a multi-million pound deal in January to supply 35 wind turbine towers – each up to 70 meters tall – to the turbine manufacturer Nordex. Mabey Bridge has recently doubled its workforce to 200 and introduced a 24-hour shift system to meet demand.
The small wind sector is also in buoyant mood – the Leicestershire-based manufacturer Evance Wind Turbines announced in January that its sales had grown by 200% over the last 12 months, leading to a 25% increase in its workforce and a doubling in the size of its manufacturing facility. The company said its subcontractors were also taking on staff as a direct result.
Buckinghamshire-based FoundOcean won a contract in January to provide grouting for the foundations of a German offshore wind farm, highlighting the fact that British supply chain companies are securing work outside the UK as well as at home.
[mappress]
Offshore WIND staff, February 01, 2012; Image: repower