Fife Council is working to uphold and further cement the global reputation of Fife as a centre of excellence for research and engineering supporting the offshore wind sector.
Deputy council leader Lesley Laird was responding to the news Samsung Heavy Industries is withdrawing from Fife.
The company was responsible for building the world’s largest turbine at Methil Energy Park and it was hoped the company would eventually create 500 manufacturing jobs in Fife.
Fife Council remains optimistic about talks to transfer the 7MW turbine and test bed at Methil to Glasgow-headquartered Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (Orec), a UK Government-backed body promoting innovation in offshore renewables.
Mrs Laird said: “We welcome the positive discussions between ORE Catapult and Samsung Heavy Industries and hope they lead to a successful future for wind-turbine research and development at the Energy Park.
“We will continue to do everything we can to encourage and support inward investment into Fife and very much welcome Scottish Enterprise’s continuing support in this regard.”
She added: “Fife already enjoys a reputation as a centre of excellence for research and engineering supporting the offshore wind sector we want to help uphold and further cement that reputation at a global level.”
Fife Council’s Levenmouth area chairman, Councillor Tom Adams, said: “We would be sorry to see SHI go however, we are very supportive of discussions between ORE Catapult and SHI over the possibility of taking over the world-leading wind turbine for research and development purposes.
“ORE Catapult is the UK’s flagship technology innovation and research centre. We are keen to work closely with them to ensure that Levenmouth and Fife more widely, can benefit from any opportunities for employment and further investment that their research at the energy park might bring.
“Obviously, we will look to discuss future opportunities with the ORE Catapult and make sure that the benefits, in particular training and skills opportunities, are delivered in the local community.”
But Graham Lang, chairman of Fife-based anti-wind turbine group Scotland against Spin said: “This was a turbine that should never have been built, but promises of jobs and extraordinary generosity by Scottish Enterprise in lavishing millions of taxpayers’ money on this white elephant made the whole fiasco possible.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has blamed Westminster for deterring investment in offshore wind, but said Scotland still has a bright future in renewable energy.