UK study says green energy could overtake oil and gas in North Sea
Academic reports says more than half of offshore energy jobs could be in low carbon sectors, including wind and renewables
A report by the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen says that the fast-growing green energy industry could eclipse oil and gas in the North Sea within the next decade.
Researchers found that the number of green offshore jobs is set to climb from 20% of the UK’s offshore energy sector to 65% by the end of the decade representing a “significant change for the offshore energy industry”.
The number of jobs supported by the North Sea fossil fuel industry is expected to fall to 40% of all offshore energy jobs, or just over a third of the total, as the oil industry continues to decline.
Prof Paul de Leeuw, a director at Robert Gordon University said: “With many of the skills and competencies required for the offshore energy sector to be highly interchangeable, the energy transition offers a unique opportunity to create a new world class net zero energy workforce.”
