Green technologies could create thousands of UK jobs, research suggests

The production of hydrogen is one of a trio of green technologies which university researchers have forecast could help create tens of thousands of jobs across the country by the end of the decade.

Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen, has said mass production of hydrogen, carbon transport and storage, and the electrification of offshore gas and oil platforms, will create 26,000 jobs by 2030.

But trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), which commissioned the research, said investment is at risk because of the windfall tax on energy companies.

Professor Paul de Leeuw, the review’s lead author, said the transition to cleaner energy would “provide exciting and new opportunities for the UK offshore energy workforce”.

“It will be critical to equip that workforce with the skills needed for the jobs of the future and to ensure a coordinated, just and fair transition,” he said, adding there was a “potential prize” in the number of jobs created.

But Katy Heidenreich, OEUK’s director of supply chain and operations, warned the “potential is now at risk as investors grapple with the UK Government’s unexpected levy on the sector”.

“To achieve the best possible outcome outlined in this study, the UK offshore energy industry needs an environment that encourages investment and acknowledges our continued need for oil and gas as new lower carbon developments and technologies come online,” she said.

The research pre-dated the announcement of the windfall tax, which was introduced by then chancellor Rishi Sunak in May amid surging profits for the energy sector. The tax is expected to raise about £5 billion for the Treasury.

The number of jobs forecast is the best-case scenario, researchers said, and would mean people working on hydrogen production, CO2 transport and storage, and electrification projects accounting for close to 15% of the entire offshore energy workforce by 2030.

Depending on investment levels, it represents between 8,000 and 26,000 new energy jobs.

The report said it was likely more jobs would be created as part of the North Sea Transition Deal in areas like carbon capture and export of UK tech and expertise.

Ms Heidenreich said the study “shows that the offshore energy workforce in the UK is at the heart of the energy transition”.

She said: “More than ever, we need long-term thinking and a political and investment environment that is predictable and stable.”