Vestas has canceled its plans to develop an offshore wind turbine manufacturing facility at the Port of Sheerness in the U.K.
The company did not elaborate on the reasons for its decision to halt development of the plant, which was intended to manufacture the company's recently launched V164-7.0 MW offshore wind turbine.
However, in announcing its plans for the facility last year, Vestas said it wanted market and regulatory certainty before finalizing the deal.
Despite a shaky wind power market and financial troubles for the company, the 7 MW offshore machine was supposed to be the cornerstone of Vestas' long-term plan. In January, the company said that despite cutting 2,300+ jobs – with another possible 1,600 layoffs expected if the production tax credit in the U.S. is not extended – its plans for the 443-foot-tall V164-7.0 would offset its lackluster results.
Development of the V164-7.0 turbine will continue, however, at test facilities on the U.K's Isle of Wight, where Vestas will build and test the first components of the machine. The company plans to install the first V164-7.0 prototype in 2014.
