MHI Vestas announce new paint facility in Hampshire

MHI Vestas has announced they will repurpose a decommissioned, oil-fired power plant into a state-of-the-art painting and logistics facility for its record-breaking 80-metre wind turbine blades.

In a striking example of the clean energy transition in the UK, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has said that it will soon be operating at the site where the oil-fired Fawley Power Plant once generated power.

The new facility is the latest in a series of manufacturing investments made by the company as part of its comprehensive industrialisation strategy underway in the UK. The new facility will compliment MHI Vestas’ advanced manufacturing facility on the Isle of Wight where the 80m blades are manufactured. This investment is a direct result of strong demand for the V164 offshore wind turbine platform.

MHI Vestas will be investing in a new state-of-the-art painting and logistics facility / Picture: MHI Vestas

MHI Vestas CEO, Jens Tommerup, said: “As we saw in the recent CfD auction round in the UK, the cost of offshore wind continues to fall. This is fantastic news for the industry and for consumers, and also a great challenge for us to optimize our operations in every area. Our new paint and logistics shop at Fawley will improve our competitiveness worldwide and strengthen our UK industrial footprint.”
The new facility, expected to begin operations in April 2018, creating up to fifty jobs, demonstrates the rapid industrialisation of offshore wind – sending a clear signal to policy makers that with market certainty and large-scale projects, manufacturing investment and clean energy jobs will continue to expand in the UK. MHI Vestas welcomes the recent UK CFD budget and auction announcement.

Energy Minister, Richard Harrington MP added: “This new facility in Fawley, developed by MHI Vestas, is a further sign of the growth of the offshore wind sector in the UK. Our Industrial Strategy and Clean Growth Strategy set out the opportunities for Britain in moving from fossil fuels to a cleaner future. This development is a fitting example as it reuses the site of a former oil fired power station to produce parts for new clean wind farms.”

The expansion of MHI Vestas’ blade and storage footprint in the UK will bring these functions closer to other manufacturing sites and closer to UK project sites.

The expansion comes as part of a larger, community revitalisation plan from the site’s owner, Fawley Waterside Ltd., who is committed to the establishment of a vibrant, new community with a strong employment offer. MHI Vestas’ planned use of the old power plant is central to this aspiration.