Save The Vestas Wind Turbine Factory

Vestas Wind Systems won a court order today to end a fortnight-long factory sit-in by workers. With a 20 per cent market share, and 38,000 wind turbines installed, Vestas is the world's leading supplier of wind power solutions.

In response to the court order; another group of protesters occupied a second site belonging to the turbine company. Six men remained barricaded inside the Danish company's plant at Newport, on the Isle of Wight, last night, protesting against its closure with the loss of 625 jobs. Five more activists climbed on the roof of a building facing the Solent.

At the main prrotest a growing "red and green" coalition of trades unionists and climate campaigners is camped. Some departing workers met with applause and cheers, and embraces from their wives.

Over the past fortnight the camp has grown from a handful of protesters to 25 tents set up on a traffic island at the far end of the St Cross industrial estate. Andy Hewett and Pete Murry from the Green Party Trade Union Group have been down there for the last two days supporting the occupation.

RMT's general secretary, Bob Crow, said of the protestors: "Every single one of them is a hero and the country should be proud of them. They've done more for the future of green energy and green jobs in the UK in two weeks than the government has done in 12 years."

James Fieldsend, representing the occupying workers, had argued at Newport county court that the application for a possession order had not been properly served, but the judge, Graham White, decided it had and granted the order to Vestas.

Peter Kruse, a spokesman for Vestas, said the company "was in no hurry" regarding taking posession. "We are as patient as we have been all the way. We have been in wind turbines for 30 years – we are very patient in everything we do."

Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, claims that Britain will become a world leader in low-carbon technology and manufacturing! Not if we close down all the renewable energy plants. We are moving backwards, when we could be leading the way.

The UK’s wind resource is the best in Europe, underlining its ability to make a significant contribution to our energy needs. Research conducted by Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute for the Department of Trade and Industry, analysed hourly wind speed records collected by the Met Office at 66 locations across the UK since 1970.
- The UK has the best wind resource in Europe. The recorded capacity factor for onshore wind energy in the UK is 27 per cent, greater even than in Germany (15 per cent) and Denmark (20 per cent) where wind farms are currently most widespread.
- Availability of wind power in the UK is greater at precisely the times that we need it – during peak daytime periods and during the winter.
- The UK wind resource is dependable. The likelihood of low wind speeds affecting 90 per cent of the country would only occur for one hour every five years.
- The chance of wind turbines shutting down due to very high wind speeds is exceedingly rare – high winds affecting 40 per cent or more of the UK would occur in around one hour every 10 years and never affect the whole country

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