However, following an agreement in principle with the UK Government, Vestas intends to repurpose the factory to build blades for onshore wind turbines, primarily to support the UK market. Vestas greatly appreciates that the current UK Government has stepped forward to enable this change.
This transition to onshore blades will enable the facility to help meet the growing demand for onshore wind energy in the country, which has been boosted following the Government’s decision to remove the de facto ban on onshore wind energy in England and with its focus on building domestic supply chains.
The current manufacturing operations on the Isle of Wight employ approximately 600 people in manufacturing, logistics and support roles. The agreement in principle with the UK Government to transition to new activities will maintain approximately 300 jobs in manufacturing activities. In addition, Vestas will offer a significant number of opportunities in other parts of our business. These opportunities will include roles supporting the UK operations and other Vestas factories.
Our technology activities, which employ approximately 140 people on the island, are not affected by this decision and will remain a centre of excellence for the company for blade research, design and development.
Anders Nielsen, Vestas Group Chief Operating Officer, said: “We have been investing in jobs and manufacturing activities on the Isle of Wight for over two decades, and we are very proud of the technical expertise that has been developed at the site. We are pleased that this partnership in principle with the UK Government means that we can continue manufacturing activities on the Isle of Wight to support the roll-out of onshore wind in the UK. The commitment to domestic manufacturing and clean energy from the new Government and Secretary of State has been instrumental in making this decision. My sincere thanks go to everyone who works for us on the Isle of Wight, for their significant contribution to wind energy, and we are pleased to retain and offer a significant number of opportunities for our affected colleagues during this process.”
Vestas will now begin a consultation process with employee representatives and aims to have clarity for the majority of employees by January 2025.
Following today’s announcement, Vestas employs more than 33,000 people worldwide and more than 1,500 in the UK across land-based and offshore activities.
