Ming Yang Smart Energy, the Chinese wind turbine manufacturer, has confirmed plans to create what would be Britain’s largest, and first fully integrated, wind turbine manufacturing facility
The proposed facility, to be built in Scotland, would see the Chinese company invest up to £1.5Bn (US$2.0Bn) in a new wind turbine factory for turbines for fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind projects for the UK and for export, creating up to 1,500 new jobs, with a potential 1,500 more new jobs in later phases.
The investment plans are still subject to final approvals from the UK government and are an integral part of a wider pan-European strategy, in which other locations are being explored. Discussions about the Chinese investment have been ongoing for some time, with potential investment in the UK welcomed by some and viewed as having serious industrial, energy and national security issues by others.
Several sites in Scotland have been shortlisted, with Ardesier Port near Inverness the current preferred location, enabling the redeployment of those previously employed in the oil and gas sector.
In a statement, Ming Yang said it wants to bring technology such as its 16.6-MW Ocean X dual-rotor floating wind turbine to the UK market. It believes that doing so can accelerate the commercialisation of floating wind technology.
The company’s three-phase strategy would create an offshore wind hub to serve the UK, European and other non-Asian markets. Phase 1 would see Ming Yang invest up to £750M to create an advanced manufacturing facility for wind turbine nacelles and blades, with first production by late 2028.
Phase 2 would see the company expand the facility and infrastructure to serve the deployment of floating offshore technology at scale in the UK. Phase 3 would see the company develop an ‘offshore wind industry ecosystem’ around the hub, which includes manufacturing of control systems, electronics and other key components.
Ming Yang has held extensive discussions with the UK and Scottish governments over the last two years on its plans, as well as holding detailed commercial discussions with Great British Energy, the National Wealth Fund, the Scottish National Investment Bank, the Crown Estate and UK Export Finance.
The announcement follows a partnership announced last month with Octopus Energy to explore the implementation of solutions codeveloped with the UK company to create the highest levels of data protection and cyber security in combination with Ming Yang’s offshore and onshore wind turbines.
Ming Yang Group founder and chairman Zhang Chuanwei said, “Ming Yang is committed to accelerating the global energy transition through innovation and community-focused comprehensive energy solutions. We are excited by the prospect of investing in the UK and look forward to finalising our investment decision.”
Ming Yang UK chief executive Aman Wang said, “We firmly believe that by moving forward with our plans to create jobs, skills and a supply chain in the UK, we can make this country the global hub for offshore wind technology. We fully support the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower, and I’m confident that once the plans are approved we can make a valued contribution to this goal.”
