Government intervention, combined with fresh investment from
Vestas, has secured the future of the company’s Isle of Wight manufacturing plant and safeguarded more than 300 skilled jobs. The Newport facility will now become the UK’s only dedicated onshore wind blade production site, following a £20 million Government grant that will support the re-purposing of the factory, expansion of output, and strengthening of the domestic clean‑energy supply chain.
The funding confirms an agreement reached after uncertainty emerged last year, when demand for the offshore turbine blades once produced at the site came to an end. The logistical challenges of manufacturing the newer, larger offshore blades meant the long‑standing factory — operational on the island for more than two decades — faced potential closure. After the Government lifted planning restrictions on onshore wind, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband moved quickly to formulate a plan enabling Vestas to convert the facility for onshore blade manufacturing.
The Isle of Wight is now set to play a key role in the UK’s clean‑energy industrial base. The decision secures one of the island’s largest employers and positions the plant to support the nation’s clean‑power ambitions, including the mission to deliver a fully decarbonised electricity system by 2030. Ministers say the strengthened supply chain will reduce reliance on volatile global fossil‑fuel markets and help stabilise long‑term energy costs.
Climate Minister Katie White said: “It was a no-brainer to save the Vestas factory on the Isle of Wight and create the country’s only dedicated onshore wind blade facility. Onshore wind is one of our cheapest and fastest technologies to build, it supports thousands of skilled jobs, and it delivers clean energy directly to the communities that host it.
While our thoughts are with those who have lost their jobs, by safeguarding over 300 roles, we are protecting one of the Isle of Wight’s largest employers and giving Britain the ability to produce the homegrown, clean power we need to bring bills down for good.”
Ken Kaser, Vestas senior vice president for blades manufacturing, said: “Vestas and the Isle of Wight have a long, proud history of manufacturing world-class wind turbine blades. We are delighted to partner with the Government on actions and policy that supports skilled jobs, strengthens the UK’s supply chain, and positions the site at the heart of the country’s clean energy sector’s future.
Onshore wind is one of the easiest and cheapest technologies to build and will supply British homes and businesses with clean, secure homegrown power that ends a reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets — all part of the mission to get bills down for good.”
The Government’s Onshore Wind Strategy sets out ambitions to reinvigorate a sector that saw limited development for nearly a decade. Ministers estimate that growth in the industry could support up to 45,000 skilled jobs nationwide by 2030 across engineering, construction, operations, and maintenance — placing facilities like the newly re-purposed Isle of Wight plant at the centre of the UK’s clean‑energy manufacturing revival.