Vestas to repurpose Isle of Wight factory for onshore wind

Since 2002, Vestas’ factory on the Isle of Wight has played an integral role in the manufacture of turbine blades for wind projects around the world and currently focuses on manufacturing blades for the V174 offshore turbine. As demand for this product is coming to an end, constraints at the site mean it is unsuitable for the next generation of larger offshore blades.

However, following an agreement in principle with the UK Government, Vestas has announced that it intends to repurpose the factory to build onshore blades, to mainly support the UK market. This transition will see the facility help meet increased demand for onshore wind energy in the country, which has been boosted following the Government’s decision to remove the de facto onshore wind ban in England and support its focus on building domestic supply chains.

Current manufacturing operations at the Isle of Wight require approximately 600 people across manufacturing, logistics and support functions. The agreement in principle with the Government to transition to new activities will sustain approximately 300 jobs in manufacturing activities. In addition, Vestas will offer a significant number of opportunities in other parts of its business, including roles supporting UK operations and other Vestas factories.

The company’s technology activities which employ approximately 140 people on the Isle of Wight, are not impacted by this decision and will remain a company centre of excellence for blade research, design and development.

Technical expertise
Anders Nielsen, Vestas’ Group CTO, said “We have invested in jobs and manufacturing activities on the Isle of Wight for more than two decades, and we have great pride in the technical expertise that has been developed at the site. We are pleased that this partnership in principle with the UK Government means we can continue manufacturing activities at the site to support the deployment of onshore wind in the UK. The commitment to domestic manufacturing and clean energy from the UK Government has been instrumental in making this decision. My sincere gratitude goes to everyone working for us on the Isle of Wight, for their significant contribution to wind energy, and we are pleased to be retaining, and offering a significant number of opportunities for our impacted colleagues during this process.”

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband added: “My thoughts are with the staff at Vestas who are facing uncertainty about the future of their jobs, especially at this time of year. I am, however, pleased that we have reached this agreement in principle with the company to save 300 jobs at the site, and that our lifting of the ban on onshore wind farms is helping make a site earmarked for closure viable for the future.

“This agreement in principle will now need to be followed up by the formal due diligence process, but the action we are taking is designed to secure work at one of the Isle of Wight’s largest employers, and give the UK a vital new industrial capability for our clean energy future.”

Vestas will now go into a consultation process with employee representatives and aims to have clarity for most employees by January 2025.

Following this announcement Vestas employs more than 33,000 globally and more than 1,500 in the UK across onshore and offshore activities.