Island company is vital to meeting Kyoto targets

Vestas Blades UK ltd, an Island based company, is optimistic about growth following the government's announcement of a huge expansion in the amount of electricity which is generated by offshore wind turbines. Licenses will be issued for the construction of thousands of turbines off the coast of the UK which will generate the equivalent to the output of several nuclear power stations. As a world leader in wind turbine manufacture Vestas Blades is well positioned to benefit from this initiative.

The government intends to increase the proportion of the nation's energy needs which are generated by renewable energy sources from about 0.5 per cent at present to 20 per cent from 2020 in accordance with the targets for the reduction of CO₂ gases, which contribute to global warming, established by the Kyoto agreement.

The government intends to increase the proportion of the nation's electricity needs which are presently met by land based wind turbines from the current 500 megawatts to some 6,000 megawatts which will be generated by land based and offshore turbines - enough energy to supply a major city. The government will issue licences for hundreds of turbines including at three sites off the North West coast, the Wash and Thames Estuary.

Major technical and financial difficulties need to be overcome however, before the generation of electricity by a network of wind turbines can become a reality. Of some 17 wind farm projects announced in 2000 only two are presently under construction. An investment of at least six billion pounds, from private sources, will be required to construct the turbines and a network of cables which will be able to carry the electricity generated from offshore wind farms to the national grid. In order to entice private investors to enter the market the government will have to introduce measures such as requiring electricity supply companies to buy a substantial proportion of the energy they supply from renewable sources.

Dodnor based Vestas Blades UK Ltd is the largest manufacturer of blades for wind turbines in the UK. The company produced more than 800 blades in 2002. The company currently employs 400 people, including 50 professional engineers, at its Newport factory and expects to add to its workforce. The company has recently invested in Blade Runner 2 a barge which allows the company to ship its blades along the River Medina to Southampton for export.

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