WIND energy is set to reap £7 billion of investment in the next six years according to a new report and a south coast company is set to take a significant slice of the action.

Already a business expanding rapidly, figures from the British Wind Energy Association suggest a £7 billion wind power boom may be just around the corner.

New figures showed that ten new wind projects have already been commissioned this year and two more will be commissioned by the end of December - three times as many as last year.

There are 18 wind projects under construction and 33 schemes were given planning approval, with another 94 waiting for commission.

Vestas Blades UK is a leading maker of wind turbine blades and has been gearing up to take advantage of official targets for a switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

When it moved from Totton to the Isle of Wight four years ago the company, then NEG Micon, employed just 80 people.

Now it employs 550 people at four Solent sites - two on the Island and two in Southampton. Its massive blades are a common site on Southampton's waterfront as they float by on barges on their way to a city storage facility.

Director Paddy Weir said: "People commonly describe the industry as being in the Model T Ford stage or it's childhood - a significant growth phase.

"In the UK and Ireland there is huge potential and I think we are strategically well placed to take advantage of that. We have the right products, the right people and we are geographically well placed."

He refused to be drawn on whether there would be more jobs created but said that the bright prospects did mean job security for Vestas employees.

"The figure of £7 billion sounds perfectly feasible," he said. "We have been upping our capacity and we are set ready."

Marcus Rand, the British Wind Energy Association's chief executive, said: "These are exciting times for the wind industry. At long last we are developing a healthy and vibrant market in the UK, the windiest nation in Europe.

"This year has been a record-breaking one for the industry and the

indications are that next year will be even bigger."

Mr Rand called for continuing support for the onshore and offshore wind projects coming on stream, and said that power generated by wind was essential for the government to reach its targets on renewable energy as well as improving the UK's security of supply.