British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has been active in wooing Siemens to open a wind turbine production plant in the UK, and ressurect the country's fallen "green energy" inititative. The recent Vestas exit from the UK wind market, after having shutdown their production plant at Isle of Wight, has dealt a serious blow to the country's renewable energy plans.

Attempting to secure Siemens' presence in the UK, the UK government has granted Siemens a GBP 1.1 million help in funding for the development of a new offshore wind power converter. A larger donation was given to clipper Wind Power, which is involved in research for developing a new prototype of blades to be used on North Sea wind turbines.

Being the world leader in wind turbine production, Siemens is a wanted prize for the UK wind market, along with GE and Mitsubishi, also rumored to be potential candidates for a new British production facility.

A meeting with the head of Siemens wind division and the UK government has been confirmed, although before any decision about a production facility is to be made, the UK would have to meet various conditions. According to René Umlauft, CEO of Siemens Offshore Wind, one of the most important aspects was to see what would come out of Round 3 offshore deep water licensing to be announced soon. Even though Siemens doesn't tie the production facility to the outcome of Round 3 licensing, the company needs to know there will be enough customers justifying the opening of a production plant in the UK.

Siemens is considering four locations for a new production facility – two in the UK, one in Denmark, and one in Germany. Round 3 gives Great Britain an advantage, provided it can secure enough customers for Siemens. Possible UK factory locations would be either in the north east or in East Anglia. A decision will be made within the next twelve months, although it could come much earlier than that.

[via: Guardian.co.uk]