Date: 28-Jul-10
Country: UK
Author: Kylie MacLellan
More than 5,000 jobs could be created by the development of planned wind turbine manufacturing sites around port locations in Scotland, the country's First Minister Alex Salmond said on Tuesday.
Under the plans, 11 sites across three regions would manufacture 750 complete offshore wind turbines a year, both for use in Scotland and for the export market.
Creating the sites would require total public and private investment of 223 million pounds ($346 million), according to the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan report, but could generate 294.5 million pounds a year for Scotland's economy.
"Scotland has the natural resources, expertise and ambition to become a global powerhouse for clean, green energy," Salmond said.
The report also looked at the infrastructure needed to support wave and tidal energy projects.
Scotland's waters are estimated to have as much as a quarter of Europe's potential offshore wind and tidal energy resource and a tenth of the wave power capacity, said Salmond.
"Our seas have unrivalled potential to generate clean energy and bring jobs and investment to our communities," he said.
"In the current economic climate, it is important that we capitalize on these natural assets to secure new opportunities that support economic recovery and growth," he added.
(Editing by Jane Baird)
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