Offshore wind offers ‘real opportunity’ for oil workers

Offshore wind offers ‘real opportunity’ for oil workers

Offshore wind presents a “real opportunity” for North Sea oil and gas workers over the coming decades.

However, the sector needs to stress that it will be a “staggered transition” and that it will take time for many of the jobs to materialise, said Zoe Barnes, strategy manager at offshore wind developer Quaybridge.

She added that it won't be a straight swap for workers and that measures will need to be taken to ensure training gaps are filled.

There have been widespread fears recently that thousands of oil and gas employees could be left high and dry as the industry begins to divert away from reliance on hydrocarbons.

Campaigners have issued calls for governments to manage a ‘just transition' to help offshore workers, particularly those made redundant during the pandemic, become part of the energy transition

Ahead of the Chancellor's budget in March, the RMT Union called for £220 million to be ring-fenced annually to help workers retrain for renewables.

Ms Barnes said: “There is a real opportunity for skills transition between the oil and gas sector and offshore wind. But, it's not a complete, straight transition. We shouldn't act as if oil and gas workers are just going to be sitting there and we're going