Hundreds of jobs at risk at Isle of Wight wind turbine factory as product demand 'coming to an end'

Vestas facilities in Newport on the Isle of Wight focuses on manufacturing offshore turbine blades for wind projects. Credit: ITV News Meridian

600 jobs are at risk at a wind turbine factory after the company said demands for its products are "coming to an end".

Vestas facilities in Newport on the Isle of Wight focuses on manufacturing offshore turbine blades for wind projects.

It says demand for its V174 offshore turbine product is coming to an end, and constraints at the site mean it is not suitable for the next generation of offshore blades.

However, staff were told in this morning (Wedneday 11 November) around 300 roles could be saved following an agreement in principle with the Government to repurpose the factory to build onshore blades, mainly to support the UK market.

It added that its technology activities which employ approximately 140 people on the island, are not impacted by this decision. Credit: ITV News Meridian

Anders Nielsen, Group CTOO of Vestas said: "We have invested in jobs and manufacturing activities on the Isle of Wight for more than two decades, and we have great pride in the technical expertise that has been developed at the site.

"We are pleased that this partnership in principle with the UK Government means we can continue manufacturing activities at the Isle of Wight to support the deployment of onshore wind in the UK.

"The commitment to domestic manufacturing and clean energy from the new government and Secretary of State has been instrumental in making this decision.

"My sincere gratitude goes to everyone working for us on the Isle of Wight, for their significant contribution to wind energy, and we are pleased to be retaining, and offering a significant number of opportunities for our impacted colleagues during this process."

Vestas will now go into a consultation process with employee representatives and aims to have clarity for most employees by January 2025.

  • The Labour MP for Isle of Wight West, where the factory is located said

Richard Quigley MP for Isle of Wight West said: "They’re a good employer, they’re good jobs, skills, apprenticeships, and I wouldn’t want to lose any. It also feeds into the wider community and community wealth building. I am pleased that they’ve retained the level we have.

Responding to the announcement that the government has proposed plans to help save jobs, Conservative MP, Joe Robertson for Isle of Wight East said: "It’s good to safeguard jobs where you can, but it won’t feel like that for those families affected.

"They’re a very significant employer and we do have this sector on the island. I think technology broadly speaking is our second employer on the island and they’re jobs that unlike tourism, which tends to be seasonal and temporary work, these should be long term employment. So we really need to protect this sector on the Isle of Wight."

Vestas’ facilities have been on the Isle of Wight since 2002. Credit: ITV News Meridian

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said a collaborative approach between Vestas and the government means a site that was almost certain to close would now have a future, offering highly skilled jobs and giving the UK a vital new industrial capability.

The proposed plans for the factory have been made possible in part because of the lifting of the ban on onshore wind – as part of our Plan for Change to make Britain a clean energy superpower – creating a growing supply chain in the UK and making the site viable for the longer term.

The company’s factory in Newport, which has been on the island for more than twenty years, in that time the technology for offshore wind has evolved, with ever-bigger blades needed for the new turbines producing ever more clean power.

The government says it considers blade manufacturing essential for its clean power mission and intervened to negotiate with the company in recent weeks, adding that the agreement represents a "new way of dealing with businesses".

Energy Secretary Ed Milliband has said: "My thoughts today are with the staff at Vestas who are facing uncertainty about the future of their jobs, especially at this time of year.

"I am, however, pleased that we have reached this agreement in principle with the company to save 300 jobs on the site, and that our lifting of the ban on onshore wind farms is helping make a site earmarked for closure viable for the future.

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