CS Wind will build a new offshore tower manufacturing facility in Campbeltown, Scotland as a result of a multi-million-dollar investment from DONG Energy. This investment will give DONG Energy preferred access rights to towers for its offshore wind farms.
This will be the first facility in the UK that can manufacture towers for offshore wind turbines and will be located adjacent to CS Wind's current onshore facilities. It will be able to produce at least 50 towers a year and 70 jobs will be safeguarded as a result.
The investment will enable the contract for the first 95 towers built by CS Wind, which Siemens Wind Power has agreed to take, and will help in the establishment of a tower manufacturing facility in the UK.
"Developing the supply chain in the UK is a strategic priority for DONG Energy,” said Brent Cheshire, UK country chairman, DONG Energy. “We plan on building more wind farms here, so this investment now will ultimately help us meet our targets in reliably delivering projects on time while bringing down the cost of offshore wind."
"DONG Energy's investment is a clear indication that developers in the UK are committed to using UK suppliers and helping to strengthen the supply chain,” said Seong-Gon Gim, chairman of CS Wind Corp.
Last month, Siemens opened a blade factory in Hull which will contribute to the steadily increasing number of UK-manufactured components in offshore wind turbines.