John Swinney Urges Andy Burnham to Rethink £1.5bn Ming Yang Ardersier Factory Decision

Scotland’s First Minister is pressing Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reconsider the UK Government’s decision over Ming Yang’s proposed wind turbine manufacturing hub near Inverness, reigniting a dispute over jobs, Chinese investment and national security.

John Swinney has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reconsider the decision that derailed plans for a £1.5 billion Ming Yang Ardersier factory, as pressure grows on the new government over the future of the proposed Highland development.

The Chinese wind turbine manufacturer had planned a major manufacturing facility at Ardersier, near Inverness. The project was promoted as capable of creating up to 1,500 direct jobs, but the previous UK government concluded in March that it could not support the use of Ming Yang turbines in British offshore wind projects because of national-security risks.

Swinney is reported to have raised the issue during his first meeting with Burnham after the latter entered Downing Street and has also written to the prime minister seeking a rethink. Scotland’s Energy Minister Stephen Gethins said on Thursday that Swinney was “absolutely right” to challenge the decision.

The UK Government has not announced a reversal and continues to stand by its assessment that Ming Yang turbines present national-security concerns.

Why the Ming Yang Ardersier Factory Was Stopped?

Ming Yang’s proposal involved establishing what the company described as Britain’s first fully integrated manufacturing facility for offshore and floating wind turbines.

Company correspondence released by the Scottish Government shows the original plan envisaged investment of up to £1.5 billion. Ardersier Port was identified as the leading site, with an initial phase of up to £750 million covering production of turbine nacelles and blades. Manufacturing had been expected to begin by late 2028.

However, UK ministers concluded after a national-security assessment that Ming Yang turbines should not be used in UK offshore wind projects. Energy security minister Michael Shanks told MPs on 25 March that national security had to come first and declined to disclose the specific intelligence or technical concerns behind the assessment.

The distinction is important: the government’s stated decision concerned the use of Ming Yang turbines in UK offshore projects rather than a conventional planning refusal for the Ardersier site. In practice, however, restricting the company’s turbines from the domestic offshore market dealt a major blow to the commercial case for building the factory in Scotland.

Shanks has since criticised Swinney’s request for a rethink, describing the intervention as irresponsible, while Scottish ministers argue that energy security must also take account of Britain’s ability to manufacture renewable-energy equipment and sustain skilled jobs.

Thousands of Jobs at Centre of Dispute

The economic numbers surrounding the scheme have also evolved.

Ming Yang’s earlier correspondence with Swinney said the project would create 1,500 jobs in its first phase and potentially another 1,500 in later stages. More recently, the company’s UK chief executive Aman Wang has said the investment could support up to 1,500 direct jobs and as many as 8,000 additional jobs through the supply chain.

Those larger supply-chain figures are company projections rather than confirmed employment totals.

Ardersier is already being redeveloped as a major offshore-wind facility. The site has more than 450 acres of space, deep-water access and hundreds of metres of heavy-lift quayside, positioning it for manufacturing and deployment of large offshore components.

Ming Yang has continued pressing for reconsideration since Burnham became prime minister. Its UK leadership says it accepts the government’s responsibility to protect national security and is prepared to meet requirements imposed by ministers.

For Burnham, the dispute presents an early test of how his government intends to balance Chinese investment, economic growth and control over strategically important infrastructure. Although the proposed plant is hundreds of miles from London, the next move rests in Westminster: no review has yet been confirmed, leaving the March national-security decision in force.