Picture from EDF contract signing 10 days ago from Wind Towers Scotland website
Today the BBC gave sketchy details regarding the news Wind Towers Scotland, a company 19.9% owned by the Scottish nation has just been sold to a South Korean company - with the BBC report telling us the Scottish government has refused to tell us how much they sold our stake in the company for despite the fact after years of the Scottish public investment the company is now becoming a huge success story.
While the BBC claims this sale will secure jobs what is does not say is the company has in the past 6 weeks secured two big contracts, one of them a five year deal with EDF which had already more than secured the jobs without the South Koreans.
On 19th February 2016 the part public owned company Wind Towers Scotland reported “Community Windpower Ltd are delighted to reinforce their ‘Commitment to Scotland’ by reconfirming the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Wind Towers (Scotland) Limited (WTSL) to supply Scottish Turbine Towers for their Scottish Wind Farms”.
At the time this deal “Lesley Black, Head of Sales at Wind Towers (Scotland) said “Significant progress has been achieved in 2015 and the prospects for 2016 are encouraging assuming the capture of a satisfactory sales pipeline. In line with this WTS have increased production capacity and increased the workforce from 120 to 150. The business plan for 2016/17 and beyond requires production of some 120 towers a year to maintain the current headcount, of which the sale of towers in this MOU for 100 sections signed with Community Windpower plays a very significant part”
Then just ten days ago on 23rd March 2016, Fergus Ewing attended a meeting where it was reported “EDF Energy Renewables (EDF ER) has signed an agreement with Wind Towers Scotland for the Argyll based company to be able to supply turbine towers for all its onshore wind farm projects in the UK.”.
"The skills and experiences within the Scottish supply chain is something that I have been a champion of for a number of years, so the signing of this five-year agreement is excellent news and shows a real commitment by EDF ER."
Fergus Ewing at the part public company EDF 5 year contract signing 10 days ago
with a company spokesman saying
“Following the signing of the agreement Wind Towers is planning to broaden its product, service and customer base to support and expand its existing manufacturing activities and grow its business in the Scottish and UK renewables market.”
The BBC report today claims the South Korean company which has just taken total control of Wind Towers Scotland “will invest £14 million and secure jobs” yet these contracts signed over the past 6 weeks already secured the jobs without the South Koreans.
A little more digging revealed CS Wind, whom the SNP government agreed to sell the Scottish Nation’s near 20% stake to, got £1million from David Cameron’s government just last year after it was claimed “South Korean firm CS Wind said it would build the UK's first factory dedicated to producing offshore wind towers (in Hull) after securing a £1m grant from the (Westminster) government's regional growth fund.”
The report goes on to say “The site (in Hull) is to become CS Wind's European headquarters, creating 200 direct local jobs and many more in the supply chain. The company will produce turbine towers for offshore wind farms, fuelling speculation it could be well placed to become a supplier for Siemens' recently confirmed blade factory and wind turbine assembly plant in Hull”.
The report also reveals “"CS Wind has been investigating the UK market for 12 months working closely with... cross government teams, the offshore industry and regional networks to build a business case and develop a sustainable order book throughout Europe."”
Wind Towers Scotland as the only UK onshore towers manufacturer was also aiming to capture the European market for itself but now the SNP have decided the Scottish Nation should hand our expertise that we paid to develop over to the South Koreans who are investing pennies Scotland could well afford to invest itself if £14 million is all the South Koreans are putting in to reap all the profits now and forever more.
Why did SNP not buy SSE's 89% stake for Scotland instead of bolstering David Cameron's deal for England by allowing the South Koreans to buy out Scotland's expertise the Scottish nation paid to develop and the 5 year EDF contract they had nothing to do with just 10 days after it was signed.
It appears the SNP believe the Scottish nation is to get no share in the wealth for the investment we made just as the company has become hugely successful with CS Wind working with both governments to give itself control of the European market that Wind Towers Scotland was aiming to capture for the Scottish Nation.
And worse, the SNP government decided the Scottish public is not allowed to know how much they sold Scotland's stake down the river for as today’s BBC report reveals it is a secret how much they sold our 19% stake for – it’s on a need to know basis and Nicola and Fergus Ewing and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have decided once again the Scottish public have not to know.
Notice how the BBC also made sure they said nothing about the contracts signed in the past six weeks with the BBC preferring to give the impression the South Korean sell out secures jobs when in fact the jobs were already secure and the Scottish Nation on the brink of getting a share of the wealth for the company's growing success.
And that is why this website is dedicated to shining a light on what the BBC does not say too - as the BBC like the Scottish government arrogantly decide the full story is on a need to know basis and the BBC policy is the Scottish public don't need to know - it's not news they give - just announcements written in a way the BBC can help governments hide the other facts relevant to the story.