Jobs boost for Argyll wind turbine maker CS Wind

A Kintyre manufacturer of wind turbines is set to boost production and create 160 jobs, with work starting today on the UK's first offshore wind tower factory at the Campbeltown site.

The deal is set to create 160 jobs. Picture: Raymond Hosie

CS Wind UK has secured a deal with Siemens to produce up to 200 wind towers between 2017 and 2019 at its UK base in Machrihanish, where it has 175 staff.

The £27 million investment by South Korean-headquartered CS Wind Corporation, which acquired the business in April, was flagged earlier this week when the firm agreed a deal with Swedish wind farm developer Vattenfall to collaborate on various onshore and offshore wind projects.

Scotland’s Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse is joining CS Wind Corporation chairman Seong-Gon Gim and Charles Hay, UK Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, at a ground breaking ceremony a the site today.

Wheelhouse said: “The £27m investment undertaken by CS Wind UK, which will increase production capacity at the Campbeltown plant, highlights the importance of both the onshore and offshore wind sectors to the Scottish economy.

“I warmly welcome this important collaboration, which will help to deliver on our aim for Scottish engineering and the wider renewables supply chain to capture a far greater share of the economic value arising from the construction phase of wind energy projects.

“The announcement also reinforces our view that offshore wind energy represents not only a vital energy resource, and Scotland is a highly competitive location for projects, but also that the supply chain for the technology presents a huge economic opportunity for both Scotland and the UK.”

Niall Stuart, chief executive of industry body Scottish Renewables, added that the announcement “comes hot on the heels of contract wins for businesses in Wick, Nigg and Fife, all of which reinforces the economic and social benefits of investment in renewable energy”.

The Machrihanish site was saved from closure in 2011 when it was acquired by Wind Towers (Scotland), a joint venture between SSE and Marsh Wind Technology, after Danish owner Skykon went into administration.