SOWEC appoints two new subgroup chairs to drive forward offshore wind
The Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council has appointed two senior industry figures to lead key strands of its work to drive progress in the offshore wind sector.
A new report from the Fraser of Allander Institute has estimated that the offshore wind sector in Scotland in 2021 employed over 10,000 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) jobs with an additional 12,000 in onshore wind.
In their report, The Economic Impact of Scotland's Renewable Energy Sector - 2023 Update, they estimate that the renewables industry in Scotland supported just under 43,000 FTE jobs in 2021 and that the wind power sector was responsible for over 50% of this total.
With a number of new offshore wind projects coming online in 2022 and 2023 offshore wind is on course to become the largest of the renewable energy employment sectors.
The Moray East and Seagreen1 projects are now live since the 2021 figures were compiled so the current job figures should show a marked increase. By the time the projects due to complete in 2024 i.e. Neart na Gaoithe and Moray West, are factored into the mix offshore wind will be the dominate force for FTE jobs in the renewable energy sector.
This represents only the foothills of this future mountain of jobs as with over 40GW of offshore wind still in the construction pipeline, providing they are all built, the offshore wind sector will be responsible for the biggest jobs bonanza in the Scottish energy sector since the peak of the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Many of these jobs will be in the rural coastal areas of Scotland and will aid the regeneration of these areas through increased economic activity on the back of nearby offshore farms.
Professor Mairi Spowage, director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, said: “Our latest report shows the significant contribution that renewables make to Scotland’s economy.
“These opportunities include the potential for technological development, new export markets and prosperity for rural parts of Scotland that may otherwise be left behind in the transition away from fossil fuels.”
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