Engineering firm Mabey Bridge wants to invest £38 million in a Welsh wind turbine factory according to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) this week. The investment could create 240 new green collar jobs in Chepstow on the England/ Wales border.
The Chepstow wind turbine factory would build and paint new wind turbine towers but only if the demand for wind turbines in Wales increases. Planning consent and grid infrastructure are the two key wind energy constraints currently holding the country back from meeting its green energy targets. Onshore wind delivery currently stands at only 17% of 2010 targets.
Head of the Welsh division of BWEA, Llwelwyn Rhys said: “This is exactly what the renewable energy industry and the Welsh Assembly Government have been hoping for – our own manufacturing plant that supplies the materials needed to drive the green energy revolution. This is wholly in line with the Welsh Government’s intention of creating a low carbon economy and generating green jobs”.
BWEA has however issued a warning that Wales must not squander this golden opportunity to cash in on the wind energy manufacturing market by continuing to hold up planning consents for onshore wind farms. According to BWEA Cymru, during the last 4 years, wind energy developers have waited on average 21 months for planning decisions.
