Britain will provide a 20-million-pound ($28 million) grant to Vestas' Isle of Wight wind turbine plant, the government said on Wednesday.
Britain's deeply unpopular Labour government has a target to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030, which would require a huge increase in renewable power, and desperately hopes a "clean energy" revolution would boost the economy and create jobs.
The Danish wind turbine maker's facility had faced an uncertain future after demand ended for the offshore blades it produced, and logistical constraints prevented production of larger next-generation turbines at the site.
The grant would help the company repurpose the site to develop onshore wind turbines and secure the future of the factory, the government said.
"This will rebuild domestic manufacturing, strengthen energy security and support growth in onshore wind, which is needed to end the UK's dependency on volatile fossil fuel markets," Britain's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said in a statement.
Vestas Senior Vice President Blades Manufacturing Ken Kaser said the move would, "position the site at the heart of the country's clean energy future."
(Reporting by Susanna Twidale. Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Baird Maritime)
