Spanish-based company Gamesa have opened a £12.5 million technology centre in Scotland to develop the next generation of offshore wind technology. The technology centre at Strathclyde Business Park, near Glasgow, already employs 40 engineers and Gamesa hopes to be employing 180 within three years.

The technology centre is dedicated to the design and development of the company’s 6-7MW offshore wind platform G14X.

First Minister Alex Salmond opened the plant yesterday and welcomed the Spanish company’s involvement: “Clearly this market is highly mobile and Gamesa’s decision to develop its next generation turbine technology in Scotland is a strong endorsement of our workforce and of the level of skills and expertise that we can offer inward investors who chose to establish here.”

Gamesa is working to launch two offshore platforms – G11X- 5MW and G14X- 6/7MW- and plans to invest over €150 million (£130m) here by 2014.