A Spanish wind farm company is still searching for sites to build a manufacturing and maintenance base in Dundee.
Gamesa one of the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturers announced in January that it has signed a memorandum of understanding confirming its intent to set up a manufacturing and maintenance base in the city. This would build turbines destined for offshore wind farms in the North Sea.
Gamesa is investing £127 million to establish an offshore wind turbine business in the UK. As well as its proposed operation in Dundee, the company wants to create headquarters in London and a research centre in Glasgow.
The Basque firm also wants to build a turbine factory in England and has short-listed three possible locations the Humber, Harwich in Essex and Tyneside.
If the firm’s plans for Dundee go ahead it would create around 200 long-term jobs in the city but local politicians hope Gamesa’s presence on the Tay would act as a beacon, attracting other renewables firms to Tayside.
First Minister Alex Salmond has said the renewable energy sector could have the same effect on Dundee and Tayside as the oil boom of the 1970s had on Aberdeen.
A spokeswoman for Gamesa said the development remains dependent on sites on the coast of Tayside and Fife being developed for offshore wind farms.
“There is no news or additional information from Gamesa about its plans for offshore in the UK and Dundee,” she said.
“On January 20 we stated our intention of set up our marine wind technology centre in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as a further potential development of an industrial base for manufacturing, logistics and operation and maintenance activities in Dundee, Scotland, conditional upon development of offshore wind projects in the area and the availability of sites for prototypes.”
Earlier this month it was revealed that a new training programme is being established in Tayside to cater for the renewable energy sector. All of Tayside’s colleges, universities and statutory bodies are working together on the Energy Training East project.
Gamesa claims its investment plans for the UK will create 1000 jobs directly and an additional 800 indirectly.