Wind turbine firm insists ‘we’re staying put’ after court bid to secure future
THE South Korean owners of Britain’s only UK facility for manufacturing wind turbines insists it still has a future, despite “winding down” concerns which led a government agency to win a court order to keep it running.
Concerns were raised by ministers about the position of the South Koreanowned CS Wind Machrihanish factory, which has received nearly £3 million in taxpayer-funded grants from Scottish Government’s economic and community development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise
(HIE) after scores of workers have lost their jobs.
CS Wind used to have 134 staff but workers say it is now being overseen by just six people and union leaders are concerned it is being “wound down”.
The Scottish Government said on Friday it has yet to receive a formal response from CS Wind to a letter seeking clarity about their future plans.
Now CS Wind UK head Yun-cheol Kim says they are still looking to keep the factory going by seeking new work and insisted that they had no intention of taking out any equipment.
On an application by HIE, an interim interdict was agreed in early February by Court of Session judge Lord Ericht that stops CS Wind’s officers, employees and agents from removing plant or equipment from the factory out of the Highlands and Islands.
It was amended to allow the company to deliver items manufactured to satisfy customer orders.
HIE said it had taken the formal measures to protect the assets on site to make sure the plant retains its capacity to meet the requirements of any new orders secured.
Mr Kim told The Herald from South Korea, where he remains due to a coronavirus “restriction”: “even though there was interim interdict regarding equipment in the plant, HIE and CSW are resolving effectively.
“Originally CSW didn’t try to move out any equipment because CSW is keeping sales activities to get new opportunity.
“HIE already knew it, so there is no concern among us.
“Also, HIE and CSW UK [are on the] same page through regular meeting(s) to share the progress.
“There is fluctuation on this kind of business so, manufacture can stop operation sometimes and start again through re-hiring.
“It’s normal in this business. I don’t think that there is any concern so far.”
Unite in Scotland has raised concerns about the intentions of CS Wind saying that the factory has been lying idle for months while it should be “one of the crown jewels in Scotland’s renewables industry”.
The concerns were raised amidst criticism that Scotland’s forecast of a jobs bonanza from the offshore wind farm revolution are “a pipe dream” as it emerged it has created just 6 per cent of the 28,000 direct jobs predicted by this year.
When in April, 2016, HIE and Scottish energy firm SSE offloaded its stake in the operations, previously run by Argyll-based Wind Towers (Scotland).
They said at the time that CS Wind planned to invest up to £14m in Scotland which would safeguard 130 skilled jobs and create up to 70 new jobs in rural Argyll.