REM: China’s planned Mingyang wind turbine manufacturing in Scotland named a “priority”

A planned wind turbine manufacturing plant by Mingyang of China in Scotland is on a shortlist of 10 “priority projects”.

The designation is by SOWEC, a government partnership with the Scottish private wind sector, and is under Scotland’s strategic investment model (SIM) programme.

A Mingyang facility being on the shortlist is highly newsworthy and controversial. European turbine manufacturers have been warning that Chinese wind companies could arrive in Europe and undermine domestic manufacturing and jobs with their cut-price products.

SOWEC said of the shortlist: "Over the next few months, offshore wind developers and partners will work collaboratively alongside each project to address how to best support it [and to] accelerate forward to be ready in time for offshore wind build out in Scotland."

Mingyang, the world’s largest offshore wind turbine manufacturer in 2023, has not been shy about its intentions to expand overseas. It had previously said that a UK factory was a possibility, but the Scottish short-list is the first time that a plan has been revealed.