Scotland's biggest maker of wind farm towers is set to close with the loss of 91 jobs.

Scotland's biggest maker of wind farm towers is set to close with the loss of 91 jobs.

Danish giant Vestas yesterday said it had launched "consultations" with workers at its factory near Campbeltown, which opened in 2002 thanks to more than £10m in public investment.

The announcement comes as a huge blow to the south Kintyre economy - and to the Scottish Government's ambitions to be at the forefront of renewable technology. The Herald understands jobs will be shed over six months with the first redundancies taking effect as early as November.

Enterprise Minister Jim Mather, who happens to be the local MSP for Argyll, said he was "disappointed" with closures but would hold talks with senior management at Vestas to see if there was anything the government could do to keep the factory open.

Vestas, however, yesterday said the kind of towers manufactured at Campbeltown did not make enough money to be viable. The company is the biggest player in the world's fast expanding wind energy sector and opened its Kintyre facility at Machrihanish to cater for demand in Britain and Ireland.

The factory was the biggest of its kind in Scotland, despite the nation's fervent enthusiasm for wind farms. The Vestas' building is still publicly owned.

It was built and adapted by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), at a cost of £11.9m, and leased to the Danes. Vestas also received £500,00 in direct public subsidy from HIE to help train its workforce.

Douglas Cowan, HIE's area manager in Argyll and the Islands, said: "Vestas has been a major contributor to the area's economy over the past six years, providing a high number of jobs."