United Kingdom Wind Market is Whirlwind of Activity

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Leading wind energy companies, including Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe Limited (MPSE) (London, England), Spain's Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologia S.A. (Madrid, Spain) and Iberdrola Renewables S.A. (OTC:IBDRY) (Bilbao, Spain), have set their sights on the United Kingdom's burgeoning wind power market.

MPSE, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (TYO:7011) (MHI) (Tokyo, Japan), has pledged to invest around £100 million (US$153 million) in a new U.K.-based wind turbine research and development project by 2014. The project will see the creation of about 200 skilled jobs in offshore wind turbines, and the government is backing Mitsubishi's investment with £30 million (US$45.52 million).

In the meantime, Spanish energy giant Iberdrola will reaffirm its commitment to the Scottish offshore wind marketplace by relocating its Engineering and Construction division from Spain to Glasgow later this year, with the creation of 100 jobs. Leading turbine manufacturer Gamesa also could be headed to the U.K. as Iberdrola, one of its key shareholders, is actively trying to convince the firm to establish a U.K. manufacturing plant.

The U.K. is set to become the biggest marketplace for offshore wind over the next decade, following the awarding of Round 3 contracts in December worth £100 billion (US$153 billion). For related news, see January 11, 2010, article - Winners of U.K. Offshore Wind Jackpot Revealed.

In addition to £30 million (US$45.52 million) in grants to help establish the Mitsubishi research and development project (R&D), the government also allocated a further £18.5 million (US$28.07 million) for the offshore wind test site at Narec in Blyth. The government is hoping that the Mitsubishi R&D facility will lead to the creation of a large turbine manufacturing plant that could employ 1,500 workers. The U.K.'s wind energy status was struck a severe blow last year when Danish turbine maker, Vestas Wind Systems A/S (CPH:VWS) (Randers, Denmark) shut down the country's only large turbine manufacturing plant. For additional information, see July 27, 2009, article - Vestas to Shut U.K.'s Only Wind Turbine Manufacturing Plant.

"This decision by Mitsubishi is a sign that the U.K. is starting to turn its leadership in offshore wind generation into leadership in manufacturing," commented Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband. "We have the wind resource and we now have an industry that is really starting to grow. This is possible because of our domestic market and our commitment to support companies that locate here."

Senior Executive Vice President Ichiro Fukue said: "Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe is delighted to be working in partnership with the U.K. government to create this exciting opportunity for the development of world-class offshore wind technology in the U.K. MHI's Ship Building division is interested in entering the offshore wind installation and operation and maintenance vessel market."

Spain's Gamesa also could be coming to the U.K., confirming that it is in talks with the U.K. government about the possibility of establishing a manufacturing plant. The company said that a decision could be made within the next three to four months. Gamesa is being urged by Iberdrola to do so, as Iberdrola was one of the big winners in the Round 3 offshore contracts awarded last year.

IIR's Renewable Energy Database provides extensive coverage on the Wind Energy, Geothermal, Hydroelectric, Landfill Gas-to-Energy and Utility-Scale Solar power plants throughout North America, and is now expanding coverage across the world.

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