Vestas to create 800 jobs on Isle of Wight

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has announced that it is to manufacture parts for wind turbines at its R&D centre on the Isle of Wight. The joint venture between Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems and Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said the move will safeguard or create up to 800 jobs.

Depending on its order book, the Danish group will start manufacturing 80m blades at its Newport facility in the second quarter of 2015. The first blades are destined for an 8MW wind turbine that has been chosen for Dong Energy’s Burbo Bank project in Liverpool Bay.

The blade uses a combination of dry glass-fibre and pre-cured ‘pultruded’ carbon — with the carbon fibres pulled through resin as they are cured — laid up around a PET foam core that is supported by three infused-glass sheer webs. The 30-tonne blades will give the V164 turbine a swept area of some 21,124m2 — larger than the London Eye.

Vestas chief executive Jens Tommerup said the announcement “underlines the company’s commitment to the UK offshore wind market. MHI Vestas Offshore Wind will become the first manufacturer with the capacity to serial-produce blades for UK offshore wind projects. The blades for the V164 wind turbine were designed, manufactured and tested at the Isle of Wight facility; it is a good location for the capacity needed to ‘ramp up’ to serial manufacturing.”

Vestas made its announcement the day after Energy Minister Ed Davey warned that opposition to offshore wind projects risks “undermining” the creation of UK jobs. He was referring to new data from RenewableUK that reveals around 15,400 people are now employed in the wind-power industry in the UK.