Isra-Mart srl: REpower considers UK offshore turbine manufacturing base

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The UK's offshore wind industry could soon receive another boost, now that German turbine manufacturer REpower became the latest firm to reveal it is actively considering plans to open a UK factory.

A host of leading manufacturers, including General Electric, Vestas, Siemens and Mitsubishi, have all revealed in recent months that they are all considering developing new manufacturing facilities in the UK to serve a booming offshore wind energy market that could see 18GW of capacity installed over the next decade.

Most recently, Vestas announced it had acquired a tranche of land at Sheerness in Kent, where it could locate a new turbine factory, while Siemens is widely expected to announce final confirmation for its proposed manufacturing plant on Humberside within the next few months.

Now REpower, the company that provided 5MW turbines to the soon to be completed 150MW Ormonde offshore wind farm near Barrow, has hinted it could follow suit after revealing that work is underway to select a suitable location for a British factory.

Speaking to BusinessGreen, Norbert Giese, vice president for offshore development at REpower Systems, refused to reveal the names of the sites under consideration, but confirmed that a number of possible locations were being looked at that could be used to produce the company's new 6.15MW turbines.

"We are screening the market in terms of suitable harbour facilities with the right space and skills base," he said. "That is what we are doing behind the curtain, so we can move quickly if we decide there is the demand in the market from customers to justify the investment."

Giese stressed that any investment would be dependent on the company's success securing orders from the giant Round 3 wind farm projects, construction on which is expected to start from 2016.

He also hinted that the company could wait to secure orders before giving the green light to any UK factory.

"We think we could get a facility in place in 15 to 18 months," he said. "We have shown with our existing offshore turbine factory in Germany that we can deliver a new facility in that time."