Mingyang is considering five sites across Europe to establish a manufacturing base should permission be denied by the UK government to build a £1.5bn turbine factory in Scotland.
The Chinese OEM’s chief executive for the UK, Ireland and Nordic region Aman Wang said an original shortlist of 194 ports on the continent had been whittled down to just five undisclosed locations where focus could shift if the company is unable to proceed with plans announced last year to develop its preferred site at Ardersier.
“We are purely waiting for the UK government to make a decision,” Wang told delegates at Scottish Renewables Offshore Wind Conference in Glasgow.
“In parallel we have to progress our Plan B discussions, which would be remiss of me not to.”
Speaking to the conference via videolink from Beijing Wang dismissed media reports that Prime Minister Keir Starmer – who is currently on an international visit to China – had postponed a verdict on the factory.
He added: I don’t think (the report) was completely accurate. I was never given a specific date by the UK government for a decision and if there is no deadline then there is no delay.”