Our Energy Transition Institute (ETI) has continued to influence and advise the government and industry on the skills and investment required to meet Scotland’s and the UK’s energy transition ambitions.
In September 2023, the ETI issued a new report which found the UK offshore energy workforce can increase by 50% from over 150,000 at the moment to 225,000 by the end of the decade with new renewable jobs outnumbering traditional energy roles if a successful energy transition is achieved.
But Powering up the Workforce also warns that if the rate of investment and activity in renewables in the UK does not increase significantly, at a time when oil and gas activities are in rapid decline, then up to 95,000 potential offshore energy jobs will be at risk.
The ETI’s ‘Making the Switch’ report published in May 2022 is an important document for setting out the future shape of the energy workforce in the North East of Scotland and the levels of renewables investment and activities needed to establish the North East of Scotland as a global energy hub. The review revealed that if the region attracts £17million in renewables investment and activities over the next eight years could help secure 54,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2030.
The ETI also published the UK Offshore Energy Workforce Review in 2021. It also continues to shape the net zero narrative on an international stage, highlighting that by 2030, around 200,000 skilled people will be required in the UK offshore energy industry to ensure delivery within the next decade.
Experts from RGU have played a central role in the energy transition debate, which discusses the future of energy regionally, nationally and internationally. RGU is also a partner in the National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA), which was recently rewarded £1 million in grant funding through the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund as part of a pilot project to determine the skills required to meet the needs of a just energy transition.
The National Subsea Centre (NSC) was officially opened in January 2023 and is a multi-million-pound for subsea research and technology development. The NSC is focused on three core research programmes: Transparent Ocean, Integrated Energy and Net Zero Operations with its team members working collaboratively to find innovative solutions to industry challenges.