SUMMARY OF THE NATIONAL CHALLENGE

The UK’s offshore wind sector is a global leader, attracting significant investment and playing a crucial role in the nation’s clean energy transition. The UK Government, working through the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (‘DESNZ’), the Crown Estate, and alongside Great British Energy, is working to unlock an additional 20-30 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore wind generating capacity by 2030. This would power the equivalent of nearly 20 million homes (The Crown Estate, 2024).

According to the Offshore Wind Skills Intelligence Report 2025 (RenewableUK & Offshore Wind Industries Council, 2025), the wind energy sector in the UK currently employs approximately 55,000 people across both onshore and offshore wind. The offshore wind sector alone now accounts for nearly 40,000 workers, a notable increase from 32,000 in 2023. To meet the UK’s targets for 43-50GW of offshore wind generating capacity by 2030, the sector will require a substantial increase in its workforce. The minimum target creates a projected need for 75,000 more workers in offshore wind by 2030. Under the more ambitious 52GW scenario this demand could surge to over 94,000 workers, potentially bolstered by an additional 10,000 jobs through supply chain growth. This would result in an increase of more than 100,000 people working in the offshore wind sector by the end of the decade.

Fulfilment of the workforce requirements in a relatively short timescale requires the country to develop people with the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience. This is the necessary – but missing – foundation in achieving UK offshore wind targets in 2030 and beyond. Through Workforce Foresighting, Renewable UK and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult are looking through the lens of emerging technologies to identify the capabilities that are key to facilitating the UK supply chain for offshore wind.