MHI Vestas Offshore Wind plans to hire "hundreds of additional people" in the coming weeks at a U.K. factory to keep pace with growing demand for its V164 wind turbine platform.

"Today marks the start of an ambitious program to increase the capacity of our blade production facility at the West Medina Mills on the Isle of Wight," said James Luter, production director for MHI Vestas Blades UK, in an Oct. 15 statement.

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., had been previously considering the expansion of its manufacturing base in the U.K. The company currently employs more than 300 people at its Isle of Wight blade factory.