Half of jobs to remain at wind turbine factory

A wind turbine factory is to be repurposed following a £20m government grant, it has been confirmed.

In December 2024 the 600-strong workforce at the Vestas site in Newport on the Isle of Wight was told that half could lose their jobs as the demand for its offshore turbine blades had come to an end.

Vestas will now produce blades for the UK's onshore wind farms, retaining about 300 staff.

Climate minister Katie White said it was a "no-brainer" for the government to intervene and "create the country's only dedicated onshore wind blade facility" on the Isle of Wight.

The factory opened in 2002 but modern blades are about 50% larger than the ones produced in Newport, and the site cannot be adapted to make them.

The government lifted a ban on onshore wind as part of its clean energy plans, after what it said were "years of decline".

White said: "While our thoughts are with those who have lost their jobs, by safeguarding over 300 roles, we are protecting one of the Isle of Wight's largest employers and giving Britain the ability to produce the homegrown, clean power we need to bring bills down for good."

"Onshore wind is one of our cheapest and fastest technologies to build, it supports thousands of skilled jobs, and it delivers clean energy directly to the communities that host it," she said.

The government said its onshore wind strategy would build up to 45,000 skilled jobs across the country by 2030.

Ken Kaser, senior vice president of blades manufacturing at Vestas, said: "Vestas and the Isle of Wight have a long, proud history of manufacturing world class wind turbine blades.

"We are delighted to partner with government on actions and policy that support that safeguards skilled jobs, strengthens the UK's supply chain, and positions the site at the heart of the country's clean energy sector's future."

Vestas previously said its technology activities, which employ approximately 140 people on the island, were not impacted, and it would remain a company centre of excellence for blade research, design and development.

The company closed a turbine plant in Newport on the island in 2009, axing 425 jobs and sparking an 18-day sit-in by workers.

It opened its research and development facility at West Medina Mills in 2011 and restarted blade manufacturing there in 2015.

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