THE US government has reportedly raised concerns with the UK Government over plans by one of China’s largest wind turbine makers to build a new factory in Scotland.
Speaking to the Financial Times, a US official said that the Trump administration had warned the UK Government about what it said were “national security risks” if Mingyang is allowed to build a plant in the UK.
UK ministers are set to review whether they should block the factory, which would supply wind farms in the North Sea, after concerns were raised over cybersecurity and the danger of being over-reliant on Chinese technology.
While Guandong-based Mingyang is not state-owned, critics have argued that there is a risk that the Chinese government could interfere with its decision making and have also raised security fears over Chinese suppliers operating in UK waters.
Both US security officials and the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) have previously warned of the risk that Chinese wind turbines could house “electronic surveillance technology” such as trackers.
Back in November, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes indicated that the Scottish Government is open to Minyang’s factory, telling the Financial Times that there was “room” for the company.
However, the Scottish Government is waiting for clarification on the security implications, which is a matter reserved to Westminster.
The National previously told in February how Mingyang is also in talks with developers Flotation Energy and Vargronn to supply offshore wind turbines for a North Sea project called Green Volt.
While concerns were raised at the time, Treasury officials were said to have overruled objections from other parts of the Government – including from the MoD – to the project.
A UK Government spokesperson declined to comment on the Mingyang case but said that the Government would “never let anything get in the way of our national security”.
They added: “Investment in the energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny.”
A spokesperson for the Green Volt project said: “We welcome all inward investment in offshore wind to help grow the sector, create jobs and build a thriving supply chain here in the UK.”
Mingyang declined to comment.
