Gamesa, a wind energy company, has advanced its strategy to make the UK the core of its worldwide offshore wind business by proposing to set up its marine wind technology centre in Glasgow, Scotland.
Glasgow has been identified as the preferred location for the facility, subject to final agreements on financing. This could see the creation of 130 jobs in Scotland’s largest city.
The company also is developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Scottish Enterprise, Dundee City Council and Forth Ports plc to advance a further potential development in Dundee around manufacturing, logistics and operations and maintenance (O&M) activities in the Scottish port, which remains conditional upon the development of offshore wind power projects in the area and the availability of sites for prototype offshore wind turbine generators.
If implemented successfully, Gamesa's offshore plan could represent an investment of 50 million euro in Scotland and create 300 direct jobs in the country.
The announcement comes just a few months after Gamesa unveiled its industrial plan for offshore wind power in the United Kingdom, where it plans to invest over 150 million euro through 2014.
In addition to its offshore technology centre in Glasgow and a potential industrial, logistics and O&M base in Dundee, Gamesa’s offshore wind strategy for the UK includes construction of a blade production plant (location, under study) and engaging in offshore logistics from a number of UK ports, around which it will locate its wind turbine O&M operations.
Gamesa's offshore wind business headquarters will be based in London, from where it will engage in sales, project development, finance and management activities.
Jorge Calvet, Chairman of Gamesa, commented “I am delighted to confirm our commitment to the UK and to Scotland as we become more deeply engaged with the UK’s forward-thinking plans around offshore wind. Our plans in Glasgow and the potential for Dundee could generate significant local, skilled and sustainable jobs over the coming years. I would like to recognise the support and commitment from the Scottish Government and its development agencies during the ongoing discussions around these investment plans".
The First Minister said this morning: ‘I’m delighted that Gamesa, a world-leading wind energy company, has signalled its intention to work with Scotland’s agencies to locate its Offshore Wind Technology Centre in Glasgow, potentially bringing new skilled jobs to the city”.
Gamesa estimates that the construction and development of its offshore wind business in the UK will create over 1,000 direct jobs and another 800 indirect jobs at local suppliers.
Platforms available for future projects in the North Sea
Gamesa has previously stated that it intends to play a significant role in the offshore wind market to ensure that it capitalises on demand generated in the Northern European market, specifically the UK, beginning in 2015.
The company is currently designing and developing two families of offshore turbines based on the proven and validated technology used in its G10X-4.5 MW turbine system. The first two prototypes of its G11X system, with unit capacity of 5 MW, will be tested in the last quarter of 2012, with pre-series models ready for market entry in 2013.
Gamesa is developing its G11X-5.0MW offshore wind generator in partnership with Newport News Shipbuilding operations of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, a sector of Northrop Grumman Corporation, which is a leading US defence contractor and America's largest shipbuilder: choosing a location in the US, obtaining permits, and building, installing and testing the prototype.
Gamesa is also working on development of another family of offshore wind turbine generators, with a capacity of 6-7MW (pre-series scheduled for 2014) in order to respond to projected medium-long term growth in demand with new generations of larger wind turbine generators.