Wind farm to lose 300 jobs despite £20m Ed Miliband handout | UK | News
Factory reduces workforce by half (Image: Getty)
A factory on the Isle of Wight has confirmed it is halving its workforce, meaning 300 people will lose their jobs. The cut was confirmed this week, while the remaining 300 positions will be saved with Government funding. While Ed Miliband gave a £20 million grant to the factory, the company had previously stated that the factory was uneconomic. The factory, located in Newport, is owned and operated by Danish manufacturer Vestas and specializes in making blades for offshore wind turbines.
However, the significant grant will be used to convert the factory to produce blades for onshore wind farms. In December 2024 staff were told half the jobs there could be made redundant, and that concern has now come to fruition. Climate minister Katie White said the grant was a “no-brainer”, explaining that it made sense for the Government to step in and “deploy the country’s only onshore wind blade facility on the Isle of Wight”.
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The UK aims to rapidly increase the country’s wind energy production, hoping to become a superpower in renewable energy. Despite this, the Newport factory was described as economically inefficient.
Climate minister Katie White said: “While our thoughts are with those who have lost their jobs, by securing more than 300 positions we are retaining one of the Isle of Wight’s largest employers and giving Britain the ability to produce the domestic, clean energy we need to cut bills for good.”
While questions may be raised about the taxpayer-funded grant, a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “Logistics constraints on site meant the Danish manufacturer was unable to produce the next generation of larger offshore blades.
“Mr Miliband intervened in an agreement for the factory to expand its operations into the country’s only onshore wind blade manufacturing facility.”
Government wants to expand Britain’s wind energy production (Image: Getty)
The factory had made blades for the Vestas V174 offshore turbine. These were 85 meters long but the latest V236 offshore models have much larger wings at 115 meters long.
The factory can’t produce them, so the only way forward is to produce blades for onshore wind farms. Reform UK was among the parties that criticized such moves by the Government.
Richard Tice, Reform England’s energy spokesman, said: “This is yet another example of the chaos, job losses and costs being added to our bills due to the Government’s obsession with net zero.”
The Labor government recently lifted the ban on onshore wind as part of its clean energy plans. It is stated that the current onshore wind strategy will create up to 45,000 skilled jobs across the country by 2030.
“Vestas and the Isle of Wight have a long and proud history of producing world-class wind turbine blades,” said Ken Kaser, Vestas senior vice president of blade manufacturing.
“We are delighted to be partnering with the government on actions and policies that protect skilled jobs, strengthen the UK’s supply chain and position the plant at the heart of the future of the country’s clean energy sector.”
Vestas also employs approximately 140 people in technical jobs on the island. The company said these would not be affected.
