CS Wind UK, which is kicking off works on the UK’s first commercial offshore wind turbine tower factory, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Siemens to produce up to 200 towers for the company’s offshore wind turbines between 2017 and 2019.
The signing of the MoU has been reported along with the announcement on CS Wind holding a ground-breaking ceremony in Argyll today, to mark the start of construction works on the GBP 27 million expansion at its Machrihanish facility that will accommodate the fabrication of towers for offshore wind turbines and boost the production volume for onshore wind projects.
CS Wind UK and Vattenfall, the Swedish state-owned wind farm developer, yesterday announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation over potential future contract and supply opportunities for Vattenfall’s UK development pipeline.
Siemens and CS Wind UK will sign the agreement, which will set CS Wind as the preferred supplier for multiple Siemens offshore tower projects, at the event today.
Scottish Government Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse MSP will join CS Wind Corporation Chairman Seong-Gon Gim and Charles Hay, UK Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, at the ceremony.
The Machrihanish factory, former Wind Towers Scotland, was bought by South Korea’s CS Wind in April 2016. It is expected that the investment will create 160 new jobs at the factory, which already employs 175 people.
Paul Wheelhouse , Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, said: “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.
“Yesterday (6th July) Vattenfall announced the signing of an MoU with CS Wind UK and Vattenfall, working together on a number of onshore and offshore wind projects in the future. Today’s further announcement that CS Wind will be signing a MoU with Siemens to produce up to 200 offshore towers between 2017 and 2019 is also very welcome news, and is a further endorsement of CS Wind’s investment in the Machrihanish facility, which will secure local jobs within the community in Kintyre.
“The announcement also reinforces our view that offshore wind energy represents not only a vital energy resource, and Scotland is a highly competitive location for projects, but also that the supply chain for the technology presents a huge economic opportunity for both Scotland and the UK. ”