DONG Energy Invests in UK Tower Factory, Secures Preferred Access Rights

DONG Energy is making a a multi-million pound investment in CS Wind’s new offshore tower manufacturing facility in Campbeltown, Scotland, which will give DONG Energy preferred access rights to towers for its offshore wind farms.

The factory will be able to produce at least 50 towers a year and 70 jobs will be safeguarded as a result, DONG Energy said.

Seong-Gon Gim, Chairman of CS Wind Corporation, said: “DONG Energy’s investment is a clear indication that developers in the UK are committed to using UK suppliers and helping to strengthen the supply chain. Thanks to our continuous effort to build an offshore facility in the UK and DONG Energy’s significant contribution on investment, we are able to build this extension which will not only benefit other UK offshore wind farm developers but also secure 70 jobs in Campbeltown.”

This will be the first facility in the UK that can manufacture towers for offshore wind turbines and will be located adjacent to CS Wind’s current onshore facilities. DONG Energy’s investment will enable the contract for the first 95 towers built by CS Wind, which Siemens Wind Power has agreed to take, and will help in the establishment of a tower manufacturing facility in the UK.

CS Wind UK started working on its Machrihanish wind turbine tower factory in July and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Siemens to produce up to 200 towers for the company’s offshore wind turbines between 2017 and 2019.

Last month, Siemens opened a blade factory in Hull, which will contribute to the steadily increasing number of UK-manufactured components in offshore wind turbines, DONG said.

Clark MacFarlane, Siemens Wind Power Limited MD, said: “This is excellent news for both the offshore industry and the UK. We are seeing unparalleled investment in UK content, skills and in manufacturing for offshore wind, driving up UK content. We are delighted to be able to add a further step to continue our proven relationship with DONG Energy.”

Brent Cheshire, DONG Energy’s UK Country Chairman, said: “The UK is the world leader in offshore wind and a growing market for DONG Energy. Our investment means that we and other offshore wind developers will be able to source towers in the UK, which is fantastic news not just for us but the whole UK offshore industry.

“Developing the supply chain in the UK is a strategic priority for DONG Energy. We plan on building more wind farms here, so this investment now will ultimately help us meet our targets in reliably delivering projects on time while bringing down the cost of offshore wind.”