Samsung chooses Scotland for £100 million turbine venture

Korean giant Samsung Heavy Industries has announced plans for a £100 million turbine venture in Fife, Scotland that will create 500 new jobs.

The company says it plans to locate its first European base to develop its next generation 7 MW offshore wind turbine at the Energy Park at Methil in Fife and has also signed a multimillion-pound deal with Huddersfield-based David Brown Gear Systems to supply gearboxes for the turbine.

“The testing of the new 7 MW offshore wind turbine at the Fife Energy Park signifies a milestone in the development of Samsung’s new wind turbine generator system,” says CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, Insik Roh.

Samsung is working with local economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise, and Fife Council to develop the project.

If the initial test and demonstration of its technology is successful, the company could locate nacelle, gear box assembly and blade manufacturing facilities in Scotland.

“This inward investment by Samsung Heavy Industries… further reinforces Scotland’s place in the development of the next generation of offshore wind turbines,” commented First Minister Alex Salmond in a statement today.

The investment by Samsung in Scotland follows recent announcements by Vestas, which wants to locate a turbine factory in Sheerness in Kent, and Siemens.

“These job announcements by global players such as Samsung, Vestas and other key companies amount to a January jobs mega-boost for the wind industry,” comments Gordon Edge, RenewableUK’s policy director. “We’re becoming a powerhouse… the wind industry is at the forefront of the green jobs revolution.”

For further information:
www.shi.samsung.co.kr/eng/
www.davidbrown.com/
www.scotland.gov.uk
www.renewableuk.com/

01 February 2012

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