A new report from Menon Economics shows that floating offshore wind can be one of Norway’s most important job creators by 2050.
The report states that the industry around floating offshore wind alone can create over 52,000 jobs in 2050.
This corresponds to about 25% of the total employment in the oil industry back in 2019.
Norwegian Offshore Wind cluster leader Arvid Nesse said: “The expertise we have in floating offshore technology due to oil and gas has given the Norwegian supply industry a heads start.
“We are already well equipped, and in the process of a competence transfer.
“It is great to see that this report shows such a large potential in employment.
According to the Menon report, Norwegian players can take a market share of between 5 and 14% of the global floating market.
However, to achieve the upper range, the country must quickly build up a solid industry in Norway, it concludes.
Nesse said: “I think we can do that. The government has set a clear ambition for the offshore wind investment in Norway, and the supplier industry is ready to start.
“Legal and financial clarifications are still lacking. The industry is united in contributing knowledge, research and expertise to decision-makers here.”
He added that the pace of allocation of areas on the planned floating offshore wind farm Utsira Nord must increase, to ensure a domestic market where Norwegian companies can provide services.
The report shows that several countries around us have now come further with their floating projects and have clearer goals of building offshore wind farms quite soon, Nesse added.