Ming Yang £1.5bn wind plant in Scotland put on hold over security risk
Sir Keir Starmer had been expected to give the manufacturing facility, which would create up to 1,500 jobs, the go-ahead during his trip to China.
The UK Government has put back plans to announced a huge Chinese wind turbine factory in Scotland over security fears, according to reports.
Sir Keir Starmer had been expected to give the £1.5 billion Ming Yang manufacturing facility, which would create up to 1,500 jobs, the go-ahead during his trip to China, The Times has reported.
But Whitehall sources said the deal with the firm would not be announced and that the decision would be taken later.
A Downing St spokesperson had said it had never been planned for an announcement to be made as part of the trip.
The Prime Minister headed to Beijing on Tuesday night. He is the first British PM to visit the country since Theresa May in 2018.
Ming Yang is the largest private wind turbine manufacturer in China and has said the Ardersier green freeport, on the Moray Firth, is its preferred location for the site.
It comes after the UK Government gave China permission to build a new super embassy in the heart of London.
The controversial decision removed a diplomatic hurdle in the relationship with the Chinese Government, clearing the way for Sir Keir to make his visit to China.
But Downing St said last week that this did not make the approval of the Ming Yang plant more likely.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “No, this is a decision that has been taken in a quasi-judicial process. It is entirely self contained, and as I've set out, it's a decision that's been independently taken.“And the letters this morning attest to that.”
Asked by The Scotsman earlier this month when the UK government will make a decision on Chinese firms being able to contribute to renewables manufacturing, energy minister and Rutherglen MP Michael Shanks said: "We are making a decision and we will say more about Chinese developers in due course, but I am mindful of the issue."
Chinese wind turbines can be half the price of their European competitors. Their development has been heavily subsidised by the Chinese state.
Europe’s largest turbine makers have been hit by the Donald Trump halting leases for offshore wind projects under construction in the US.
The UK Government has been warned that allowing the Ming Yang plant to go ahead would make the UK entirely reliant on China.
The Times reported that security services have been asked to produce a report on the risk of allowing the deal to go ahead. It also said the PM does not want to antagonise Mr Trump, who has been a vocal critic of wind farms and threatened 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports after it announced a deal with China to reduce levies.
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