Dundee will feel positive effects from Spanish firm Gamesa choosing Leith as the site of its new wind turbine manufacturing plant, the chief executive of Forth Ports has claimed.
The port of Dundee was initially in the running for the new factory which will bring a £125 million investment and could create more than 800 jobs until December last year, when the renewables firm decided there was a lack of space at the port.
Gamesa then turned its attention to Leith, which beat off Hartlepool to be the site of Gamesa’s UK manufacturing base.
The factory is expected to make the enormous blades for offshore wind turbines as well as the generator units that sit at the top of the turbine.
Charles Hammond, the chief executive of Forth Ports, said he expected positive news for Dundee port to follow shortly.
Since SSE confirmed Dundee as a key strategic location for the development of its offshore wind supply chain in December, Mr Hammond said there had been several ”positive enquiries”.
He said: ”Gamesa choosing Leith as its base is positive news for the Scottish economy and reinforces the attractiveness of Scotland as a base for renewables activity.
”It will assist our work in strongly putting forward the case for Dundee as a renewables base.
”Enquiries are still coming in and we are progressing with two of these in particular. Due to commercial confidentiality I can’t say anything official other than they are both renewables firms.
”I think Dundee will have a strong role to play in the renewables supply chain, as do our partners SSE, and hopefully we will be able to announce some good news for the local economy later in the year.”Opportunities for DundeeThe view was shared by Ken Guild, the leader of Dundee City Council, who said the city was ”well placed” to capitalise on the growth of renewables in Scotland.
He said: ”SSE has already shown its confidence in Dundee by choosing the city as the key location to develop its offshore renewables operation in partnership with Forth Ports. Scottish Enterprise has predicted that up to 700 jobs could be created through this development.
”The city council is doing everything it can to help support SSE and Forth Ports to bring their ambitious plans to fruition.
”The announcement this week that the port has been given Enterprise Area status will make Dundee an even more attractive location to invest.”
First Minister Alex Salmond said Gamesa’s decision to build the new factory in Leith, less than a year after the opening of their offshore wind technology centre near Glasgow was a ”welcome boost”.
He said: ”Their decision follows many detailed discussions with the Scottish Government, SDI and Scottish Enterprise and the company’s own careful analysis of locations offering the optimum environment to deliver its product.
”Gamesa’s decision is also the latest in a series of inward investment announcements by major international companies that signal Scotland’s leading position in the renewables revolution that is sweeping Europe and the wider world.”
Scottish Renewables chief executive Niall Stuart said the decision reinforced the role the renewables sector will play in the country getting out of the economic downturn.