MHI Vestas to hire 200 at Isle of Wight

UK: MHI Vestas has begun hiring for the blade manufacturing plant it is planning to build on the Isle of Wight, southern England.

by James Quilter 5 February 2015

The V164 blade mould at the Isle of Wight plant

The company said it is looking to bring in 200 new employees to work at the factory, which will produce blades for the V164-8MW turbine.

MHI Vestas announced plans to lease Vestas' production facilities at its Isle of Wight plant in November, the first part of a wider £200 million (€255 million) UK investment strategy.

At the time, the company said it would be looking to hire as many as 800 people in the UK.

The V164 blade was originally designed by Vestas at the Isle of Wight plant, which MHI Vestas will part-lease.

Speaking about the 200 new jobs, MHI Vestas said the full-time roles would be used to serve the Dong Energy order for the 256MW Burbo Bank Extension.

"These new jobs are skilled and form a critical aspect of our manufacturing capability. When serial production begins in May, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind will be the only manufacturer producing blades for offshore wind projects in the UK," said MHI Vestas CEO Jens Tommerup