Offshore wind could add 70,000 UK jobs: report

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) is welcoming a report released today by the Institute for Public Policy Research that urges the Government to help promote employment in the offshore wind sector.

The report, “Green Jobs: Prospects for creating jobs from offshore wind in the UK,” finds that — with proper Government support on supply chain and financing — the offshore sector could provide British 70,000 jobs by 2020.

“A host of independent studies has shown that the wind sector in the UK can be a motor for economic growth,” said Gordon Edge, the BWEA’s director of economics and markets. “Wind can provide clean, sustainable energy, while attracting investment and creating employment. It is a win-win situation, which, with the right policy framework in place, can benefit the country as a whole.”

He added, “Government primarily needs to act to make sure that there is a strong market for offshore wind, without which manufacturers will not be interested. Then there needs to be strategic investment in infrastructure such as port facilities, with a single area chosen to be a manufacturing hub. Finally, there needs to be strong focus on training the skilled employees needed, and on simplifying and extending support for innovation in this sector.”