Blow for Dundee as firm pulls out of 170-jobs plans

A SPANISH company has pulled out of plans to bring about 170 renewable energy jobs to Dundee.

The company, Gamesa, had been looking at the city as a potential base for its UK offshore turbine operations. It will instead consider the port at Leith, in Edinburgh, as an option, along with Hartlepool in north-east England.

The £40 million proposals could have seen 170 jobs created in Dundee, with an engineering branch bringing a further 130 posts to Glasgow.

However, the company announced yesterday that Dundee “cannot accommodate Gamesa’s foreseen offshore requirements” in terms of either the timescale or the scope of the plans.

The statement added: “Leith – offered by Forth Ports, whilst also taking into consideration the infrastructure programme recently announced by Scottish Enterprise – is now being considered as an alternative site that merits thorough evaluation.”

The announcement will be a blow to First Minister Alex Salmond, who had welcomed the potential for new jobs in the green-energy sector in Scotland.

The Spanish wind-farm firm says it plans to invest nearly £130m in the UK, creating more than 1,000 jobs.

Gamesa had been due to announce a decision on its port by the end of October, but this has been delayed.