Wind ‘has power to generate 100,000 new jobs’

A study published by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) makes clear offshore wind is set to become a vast new industry by 2020 as ambitious Government plans to build the world’s two largest wind farms off the Yorkshire coastline, alongwith a series of others around UK waters, finally start to come to fruition.

A new collaboration of councils, business leaders and supply chain firms from the Humber area will travel to London today for the opening of Britain’s largest offshore wind conference, where they will lobby for fresh investment from turbine manufacturers and other firms involved in the industry.

German technology giant Siemens has already agreed to open an 800-workforce factory in Hull to build some of the thousands of new turbines required, and it is hoped other international manufacturers will follow suit.

The Yorkshire Post is campaigning for the Humber to become a national hub for the production of the thousands of huge offshore turbines that will be required to support the new industry.

The new CEBR report, commissioned by energy firm Mainstream Renewable Power – one of the companies behind the 800-turbine farm planned off the coast of Hornsea – makes the scale of what is on offer abundantly clear.

It estimates the offshore wind industry will have created 45,000 jobs across the UK by 2015, rising to 97,000 by 2020. By 2030 the figure will be 173,000 jobs.

Furthermore, it says the UK’s manufacturing base could soon start supplying offshore wind farms around the world.

Mainstream chief executive Eddie O’Connor said the prospects for foreign trade – with the potential to supply a global market – were important for the sector.

“The value of offshore wind to the UK is truly significant,” he said.

“By helping the UK reduce fossil fuel imports, and by creating a new industry, offshore wind will create jobs, assist in balancing the trade deficit and boost GDP at a time of economic uncertainty.”

The report offers a timely boost amid the ongoing economic gloom. Youth unemployment is at a record high, with businesses forecasting the situation could worsen this summer, with the UK economy mired in double-dip recession.

The CEBR study makes clear that offshore wind is now one of the UK’s leading growth industries – and that the majority of the new jobs created are likely to be centred around the ports nearest to where wind farms will be built, such as those along the Humber.

Report author Oliver Hogan, head of microeconomics at the CEBR, said: “I think the significant share of these new jobs will stay in the regions where the wind farms are built.

“To roll out turbines on this sort of scale the manufacturers need to be located near to these ports.”

In a bid to draw in further investment, representatives from five councils from across East Yorkshire, the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and a federation of local supply chain business will be working together at today’s Global Offshore conference in London, where guest speakers include Energy Minister Charles Hendry and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey.

Mark O’Reilly, chairman of Team Humber Marine Alliance – which represents supply chain business to the turbine industry from across the area – said: “It’s taken a lot of work but we are now speaking with one voice under the Humber Renewables banner.

“We will be flying the flag for the region and we want to see more inward investment following the success we’ve had with Siemens.

“We know the Humber is the ideal place for this industry and so it’s a very exciting time.”