Vestas rethinks wind turbine plant in Austrailia

Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas says it will reconsider its plans to establish a blade manufacturing plant in Australia after the release of the energy white paper. Vestas chief executive Svend Sigaard says the Federal Government's decision not to extend the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) scheme does not give his company enough confidence in the future of renewable energy in Australia.

Vestas was considering two Australian sites for its blade manufacturing plant, Portland in Victoria and Wynyard in Tasmania's north-west. Speaking from Denmark, Mr Sigaard says the MRET scheme needed expansion for Vestas to be confident in its investments. "We need the long-term stability of the market and with the current perspective, this is not long-term," he said. "It has an effect on Vestas' plans and these plans will now be reconsidered."