Offshore wind support

The UK could be a global leader in offshore wind energy component manufacturing in the next decade with new support promised by the government.

In its recently released Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, the government said it will provide £120m to fund the development of a British-based offshore wind industry.

The details of the report were released on the same day the UK’s only significant manufacturer of wind turbines, Vestas, ceased production at its plant in Newport, Isle of Wight.

The more than 600 employees at the plant and its related Southampton production site will be made redundant at the end of the month.

Charles Anglin, spokesman for the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), said the UK was an unfriendly market for wind turbine manufacturers such as Vestas. The reason, he added, is the installation of onshore wind farms in the UK are constantly delayed by cumbersome planning processes and local opposition to what some deem as visually offensive turbines.