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ENERGY

Siemens plans UK plant for wind turbines

German industrial giant Siemens said Monday it planned to build plant for offshore wind turbines in Britain, investing some 80 million pounds (€89 million) and creating more than 700 jobs.

Published: 29 March 2010 15:19 CEST
Siemens plans UK plant for wind turbines
Photo: DPA

Siemens said it was “currently appraising the suitability of potential sites for the production plant, both on the east coast and in the northeast” of Britain.

The company added that around 40 percent of the wind power generated in Britain is now produced by Siemens wind turbines.

In January, the British government granted licences for a huge expansion of offshore wind farms, based around nine sites.

Officials hope the project can deliver a quarter of the country’s total electricity needs by 2020.

“There’s good news on jobs – an estimated 700 jobs as well as additional jobs in the supply chain,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.

Business Secretary Peter Mandelson hailed the investment, saying: “Siemens are a world leader in wind technology and this is a fantastic endorsement of the UK as a destination for renewable energy businesses … confirming the UK as a world leader in offshore wind.”

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BUSINESS

Norwegian battery start-up Freyr demands subsidies to complete factory

The Freyr battery start-up has halted construction of its Giga Arctic factory and demanded additional government subsidies, Norway's state broadcaster NRK has reported.

Published: 29 May 2023 12:13 CEST
Norwegian battery start-up Freyr demands subsidies to complete factory

Jan Arve Haugan, the company’s operations director, told the broadcaster that the company would not order any more equipment until Norway’s government committed to further subsidies. 

“We are holding back further orders for prefabricated steel and concrete pending clarification on further progress,” he said. “We are keen to move forward, but we have to respect that there is a political process going on, and we have expectations that words will be put into action.” 

Freyr in April 2019 announced its plans to build the 17 billion kroner Giga Arctic in Mo i Rana, and has so far received 4 billion kroner in loans and loan guarantees from the Norwegian government. It has already started construction and hopes to complete the build by 2024-2025. 

Haugan said that the enormous subsidies for green industry in the Inflation Reduction Act voted through in the US in 2022 had changed the playing field for companies like Freyr, meaning Norway would need to increase the level of subsidies if the project was to be viable. 

Freyr in December announced plans for Giga America, a $1.3bn facility which it plans to build in Coweta, Georgia.   

“What the Americans have done, which is completely exceptional, is to provide very solid support for the renewable industry,” Haugen said. “This changes the framework conditions for a company like Freyr, and we have to take that into account.” 

Jan Christian Vestre, Norway’s industry minister, said that the government was looking at what actions to take to counter the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, but said he was unwilling to get drawn into a subsidy battle with the US. 

“The government is working on how to upgrade our instruments and I hope that we will have further clarifications towards the summer,” he said.

“We are not going to imitate the Americans’ subsidy race. We have never competed in Norway to be the cheapest or most heavily subsidised. We have competed on competence, Norwegian labour, clean and affordable energy and being world champions in high productivity.” 

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