Sunil Shah

Unless the Government acts now to develop a domestic skills base to support the growing offshore wind industry, according to independent sustainability consultants DPP, it is unlikely to benefit directly from any increased employment opportunities.

The Crown Estate’s announcement on 9 January that it has signed agreements with nine consortia to develop a series of large offshore wind generation schemes has left the UK in an ideal position to rapidly expand its renewable energy sector.

Sunil Shah, a partner and sustainability expert at DPP, said the UK cannot currently claim any real expertise in the development, construction and ongoing maintenance of off-shore wind farms, however. “Germany and Denmark currently lead and dominate this market, with the USA and China rapidly developing credible expertise,” he said. “If the Government does nothing, most if not all of the jobs generated by this massive wind generation development will be lost overseas and the UK will have lost perhaps its best chance of developing a skill base that will have a global demand.”

He said it may not be possible or indeed desirable for the UK to develop the manufacturing expertise needed to physically build the required turbines. “There are significant opportunities to develop a credible skills base in marine engineering needed to site and house the turbines, in ongoing maintenance, onshore facilities and emergency services,” he said.