MPs slam China’s role in new offshore wind farm that could power over one million homes
Conservative MPs have criticised the role of a Chinese private investment group in a new mega offshore wind farm that could power over one million homes.
The Moray West offshore wind farm project, located off the coast of Scotland, is an upcoming 882MW development, consisting of 60 turbines, with the potential to serve 1.33m homes.
The development, which has been fully approved, is run as a joint venture between EDP Renewables and Engie, and is expected to generate power as soon as next year.
While the turbines have been supplied by Siemens Gamesa, 80 per cent of the turbine’s monopiles, the steel tubes driven into the seabed, are being supplied by Dajin Offshore Heavy Industry.
More than half of those monopiles have been delivered.
Alicia Kearns, Conservative MP and chair of the foreign affairs select committee, told Morning Wire that the origins of components for renewable projects was a “key problem” for the UK as it exposed “where strategic vulnerabilities lie”.
“Our allies and partners around the world are facing similar issues when it comes to developing renewables and mitigating over-reliance on China,” she said. “This is why we need to be securing partnerships with alternative manufacturers, like Taiwan, but also investing further down the supply chain in critical mineral extraction and refinement, so that the pool of renewable energy infrastructure suppliers can grow.”
Fellow Tory MP Simon Clarke, told Morning Wire: “Instead of relying on imports, we should be incentivising British projects to use British products.”
Conservative backbench MP Peter Aldous also raised concerns over Dajin’s involvement, adding that such projects should be depending on domestic firms.
“As we scale up our offshore wind sector, it is imperative that we incentivise more of the supply chain to make the United Kingdom its home,” he told Morning Wire
Downing Street has taken steps to to reduce China’s role in other areas of the energy sector. Last year, the government paid over £100m to Chinese state-owned firm China General Nuclear to buy out its 20 per cent stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power plant.
Earlier this year, MPs also raised concerns about Chinese firms’ stakes in North Sea oil and gas projects.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “Foreign involvement in critical national infrastructure undergoes the highest levels of scrutiny and we work across government to monitor and mitigate any security risks in the energy supply chain.
“There is no risk to energy security from this contract which is only for the foundations of the wind turbines, with all other aspects provided by companies from within Europe.”
Melissa McKerrow, head of external affairs, Ocean Winds UK, said “Ocean Winds announced in April this year that financial close had been reached with £2bn of non-recourse debt secured for the Moray West project. Despite having put in considerable time to try and align UK monopile fabrication with the Moray West project, we have nonetheless been able to secure some excellent good news stories for the UK supply chain in other parts of the project.
`”We are in continued dialogue with local and national governments on how the wind industry in the UK (and ultimately consumers) will benefit from increased domestic production.”
Dajin Offshore Heavy Industry has also been approached for comment.