ScottishPower and Shell have announced that they are exploring a new collaboration with the National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA) to maximise economic and employment opportunities related to the development of floating offshore wind farms in Scottish waters.
According to the companies, they will use their ScotWind projects, MarramWind and CampionWind , to focus on the benefits of Scotland becoming a “global leader” in the offshore wind market.
“Shell aims to invest up to £25 billion in the next decade in the UK’s energy system, including in ScotWind. We want people in the north-east of Scotland to have a very real stake in the future these projects will create by equipping them with the right skills to play their part, here in Scotland and elsewhere,” said Melissa Read , UK Business Manager Offshore Wind at Shell.
NESA is part of the Energy Transition Zone in Aberdeen and is supported by partners including Robert Gordon University, the University of Aberdeen, North East Scotland College, Energy Transition Zone Limited, and Skills Development Scotland.
Bolstered by a skills programme, the Floating Wind Skills Accelerator could bring together academia, industry, and the wider supply chain to open up opportunities in the north-east of Scotland and help establish the green workforce needed for a clean energy future.
Apprenticeships and internships, graduate programmes, industry placements, and STEM education workshops for primary and secondary schools are some of the initiatives which could be supported.
“Commercial-scale floating offshore wind will revolutionise the energy sector – not just here in Scotland, but right across the world – and it’s vital we have the right people throughout the supply chain, with the right skills and capabilities, to make that happen,” said Charlie Jordan , SchottishPower’s Offshore Director for the UK and Ireland.
“Our skills partnership aims to do exactly that, whether helping people into the industry for the first time, growing and upskilling the supply chain to support floating wind, or supporting experienced colleagues to make the move from oil and gas into renewables. We’re excited to be working with our partners Shell and NESA to develop the green workforce that will deliver a clean energy future for us all.”
Last month, Shell and ScottishPower signed options agreement with Crown Estate Scotland for their two floating wind farms that have a combined capacity of 5 GW.
Once operational, the two floating wind farms will be capable of bringing clean energy to power the equivalent of 6 million homes in Scotland, more than double the number of homes in Scotland today.
In March, both companies agreed to invest GBP 75 million (approximately EUR 87 million) into the Scottish supply chain. The funds are designed to help create new offshore wind capability in Scotland that would not otherwise be possible.
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