Vestas Will Relocate to U.S., China, and Spain

Vestas UK, the same wind turbine manufacture that has recently made headlines for closing its factory on the Isle of Wight, has announced that they have hired more than 5,000 workers for new projects in China, Spain, and the U.S.

The company plans on halting all turbine production in the UK to move onto locations where the wind energy market is receiving more activity. 

“We are moving to the US because it makes sense to be close to where the action is,” said Chief Executive Ditlev Engel, the announcement came simultaneously with a report that the company has lost 15% in sales this quarter.

The company had originally planned to adapt the Isle of Wight factory to produce wind turbines for the UK, however government incentives in the UK were not timely enough to keep the plant from closing. The company was forced to close the plant last month when government funding failed to boost the wind energy market in the UK.

Wind energy is still a relatively small aspect for renewables in the UK. Last year only about 0.5GW were installed, whereas the U.S. had 8.5GW installed last year. Due to the lack of demand in the UK, Vestas was shipping nearly all of their turbines abroad costing them profits. By relocating to the U.S. and China, Vestas hopes to boost profits by cutting down on international shipping.

Thanks to guardian.co.uk for the above quote, for more information on this story please view their website.