Spanish renewables manufacturing giant Gamesa has announced its new UK plant is to be sited at the Port of Leith.

Around 800 new jobs will be created at the Edinburgh plant, with investment of up to 150 million euro. First Minister Alex Salmond – who was told of the decision by phone this morning by Gamesa’s global chairman Jorge Calvet – has described the news as a "welcome boost", bringing hundreds of quality jobs to Scotland’s capital.

Mr Salmond said: "I’m delighted that Gamesa has chosen Scotland and the fantastic Port of Leith as its preferred location for the manufacture of its new model of offshore wind turbines.

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"This is terrific news, meaning around 800 jobs and 150 million euro of investment in Scotland.‪

"Their decision, coming less than a year after opening their offshore wind technology centre near Glasgow, follows many detailed discussions with the Scottish Government, SDI and Scottish Enterprise and the company’s own careful analysis of locations offering the optimum environment to deliver its product. ‪

"I look forward to the parties moving forward quickly to conclude the MoU, as today’s announcement is a welcome boost to Leith and to the wider Edinburgh and Lothians economy – with hundreds of quality engineering and other jobs coming to Scotland’s capital city. ‪

"Gamesa’s decision is also the latest in a series of inward investment announcements by major international companies that signal Scotland’s leading position in the renewables revolution that is sweeping Europe and the wider world.

"It is a validation of the course that this Scottish Government has been steering, assisted by SDI, our enterprise agencies and by a vibrant, dynamic, indigenous energy industry that is strongly committed to expanding its presence in the global low carbon economy."

(GK)