Key points
- First Minister John Swinney has formally urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reconsider the proposed Chinese wind turbine factory
- Ming Yang has also spoken with UK leadership to ease concerns and revisit the investment worth up to £1.5bn
- The wind manufacturing plant would create some 1,500 jobs and further the net zero transition
First Minister John Swinney has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to overturn the UK government’s decision to block a £1.5 billion investment by Chinese renewables firm Ming Yang, arguing that the economic and industrial loss to Scotland is too significant to abandon without leaving “no stone left unturned”.
The clean energy company had proposed to build the UK’s largest turbine manufacturing facility at Ardersier in the Highlands, a project expected to create up to 1,500 jobs and bolster Scotland’s net-zero ambitions. However, under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the proposal was vetoed in March, citing unspecified national security risks.
Ming Yang, under new management, has also directly approached the UK leadership, stating it respects national security duties and is willing to meet any set requirements.
Earlier in the year, the First Minister pointed out a discrepancy in the UK government’s decision-making on Chinese investment in UK infrastructure as it was “welcoming Chinese investment into Hinkley power station south of the border” but not in Scotland, branding it “an anti-Scottish move”.
If approved, the investment at Ardersier Port, a reclaimed oil and gas yard in the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport zone, would be worth £1.5bn, create up to 1,500 direct manufacturing and engineering jobs. Aman Wang, UK CEO of Ming Yang, has said that up to 8,000 more jobs could be created in the supply chain.
The turbine manufacturing plant would build nacelles, blades, and control systems for offshore wind farms, assisting in the transition to net zero. The company has argued that the project can boost Burnham’s focus on “reindustrialisation” – a central policy in his economic agenda.
Scotland China Brief has reached out to Ming Yang for comment, but the firm has not responded at time of publication.
The company, which is listed in Shanghai and has a secondary listing in London, has already given assurances in March “that all operational and project data is stored and processed exclusively within the UK, under UK jurisdiction and control, with strict access protocols, independent oversight, and with certified cybersecurity systems in place”.
A statement the firm released at the time added: “We urge the UK government to now formally set out any remaining national security concerns and obligations.
“We look forward to collaborating with the UK government, and with our partners such as Octopus Energy, so that the renewables industry, and all supply chain participants, can move forward together.”
Horatio Evers, CEO Europe of Ming Yang, said: “We remain confident of the way forward and we will continue to engage with developers and with the UK government.
“Ming Yang remains fully committed to its internationalisation strategy, accelerated investment and industrial localisation plans in the UK and wider European markets.”