CS Wind Offshore announced on Tuesday that it is considering laying off approximately 220 employees at its monopile production facility at Odense Port, following the postponement and cancellation of several offshore wind projects.
The company cited political decisions and unfavorable business conditions as key reasons for the lack of new orders, which has left its Odense facility without scheduled work for a “substantial period of time.”
“This unfortunately impacts the entire supply chain, including CS Wind Offshore as a supplier to the industry,” the company said in a statement.
The firm will now enter into a formal consultation process with employee representatives and aims to provide clarity for affected staff by 23 May.
Knud Bjarne Hansen, Vice Chairman of CS Wind, acknowledged the difficult situation: “Over the past couple of years our employees have worked very hard to get our monopile factory fully up and running. Great progress has been made, and it is highly regrettable that we now see no other option than to ramp down due to a lack of new orders.”
He added, “We sincerely regret the impact this is likely to have on good and highly competent colleagues… not only our own staff, but also the many sub-suppliers who are supporting our work in various ways.”
Despite the near-term challenges, CS Wind Offshore emphasized its continued commitment to the monopile business and is exploring strategies for future operations, including leveraging its global production setup.
“CS Wind acquired Bladt Industries in order to expand our offshore product offering, so there is no doubt that we want to stay in the monopile business,” Hansen said. He also confirmed that current production at Odense Port would continue, with potential workforce reductions phased over the next three to nine months.
The company expressed optimism about long-term prospects in the offshore wind sector, despite the immediate setbacks.
