This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
The Isle of Wight Council has welcomed the news that MHI Vestas Offshore Wind (a joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Vestas) has been named as the preferred supplier of wind turbines for the Navitus Bay Offshore Windfarm.
The 80 meter blades for the V164-8MW wind turbines have been developed and tested on the Isle of Wight at Vestas’s technical centre, located at Stag Lane, near Newport by the River Medina. The blade entered production at the MHI Vestas Wind site, also located at Stag Lane, earlier this year.
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said:
“This is fantastic news for the Isle of Wight and further confirms our reputation as a centre of excellence for offshore renewable energy. This will create a significant number of long term quality jobs for the Island – not just at MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, but also among the wide range of Island supply companies.
“The Isle of Wight Council has been a strong supporter of the Navitus Bay project from day one, recognising that, as well as the windfarm being a significant supplier of sustainable renewable energy; it had the potential to bring a significant benefit to our economy. Today that faith has been vindicated, and we look forward to working with Navitus Bay and MHI Vestas Offshore Wind to ensure a successful project and long term economic benefit to the Island. The council’s Solent Offshore Renewable Energy Consortium (SOREC) project was set up to enable such an opportunity. They have been working alongside Navitus Bay and MHI Vestas Offshore Wind for some time now, developing the local supply chain.”
Councillor Shirley Smart, Isle of Wight Council Executive member for economy and tourism, said:
“Following today’s news, the council is looking forward to securing further investment on the Island, particularly in relation to the ongoing maintenance of the proposed offshore wind farm.
“The next opportunity this project offers is the port to act as the operations and maintenance base for the offshore windfarm. The council has been working with the Yarmouth Harbour Commissioners in championing Yarmouth as the operations and maintenance port for the scheme and we believe today’s announcement , through the local links, strengthens their case.
“Growing the economy is one of the council’s key priorities and we will do what we can to support this high value, important and expanding sector.”
