Tom Hopkinson: Rural sector re-energised by renewables investment

Published on Sunday 1 August 2010 22:38

INVESTMENT in the renewable energy sector is helping to reignite rural economies and give farming communities a new source of income and jobs.

They are benefiting from the conversion of offshore oil and gas fabrication yards to the manufacture of wind and wave power equipment.

They are also seeing a boost from the introduction of the "feed in" tariff to give wind farm operators the opportunity to sell electricity back to the grid.

Incentive schemes for farmers are a welcome relief at a time when the sector continues to suffer from supermarket monopolies on pricing and cheap food from abroad.

Wind farms are not only generating revenue for diversifying farmers, they are securing much-needed jobs in rural areas bereft of industry. A wind farm of up to 300 turbines can secure up to 100 jobs.

We are regularly placing professionals into roles in rural areas with up to 30 per cent of our placements last year in rural locations. The high intake or rural employment is a feature of the renewable energy industry, which is unlike any other growth sector in the UK.

We have seen that fabrication yards are also providing a stable platform for employment and investment for these communities. Burntisland Fabrications, for example, has three operations in rural regions of Scotland, one in Stornaway and two on the Firth of Forth.

Since 2006, two of the company's yards at Methil and Arnish have been adapted to cater for the renewable energy sector, with new streamlined processes, and investment in specialist skills and manufacturing operations to cater for the growing offshore wind energy sector.

Up to 50 per cent of the company's operations on the Firth of Forth are now dedicated to the manufacture of "jackets", the large subsea sub-structures for the construction of offshore wind turbines.

By 2015, this figure is predicted to rise to 70 per cent, as wave and tidal power offers further manufacturing opportunities for the yards.

Burntisland Fabrications managing director John Robertson says it is in a fortunate position where it can guarantee the security of many local jobs due to the opportunities provided by the renewable energy sector. The facility in Fife accounts for up to 300 workers whereas a reliance on the offshore oil and gas industry may well have resulted in redundancies and economic decline.

The company is forecasting a sharp rise in employment opportunities over the next five years. Thousands of jobs will be created as wind, wave and tidal power bring renewed manufacturing opportunities for the UK.

The company sees a bright future for rural communities within commuting distance of its yards.

Robertson is also confident that the growth of the renewable energy sector will bring investment into rural regions. He sees the growth of "industrial clusters" emerging around the Tay and Firth of Forth.

These will develop into world-leading centres for the manufacture of parts for all forms of renewable energy generation.

By 2020, fuelled by a boost in manufacturing opportunities from the emerging wave and tidal sector, more manufacturers will enter these industrial hubs, bringing further investment and employment for local communities.

Locally-based colleges and universities will also benefit, as new courses and training schemes are set up to supply talent for a skills hungry sector.

Links between these further education establishments and employers will grow and develop over the time, ensuring that the sector is supplied with relevant skills.

What we need now is commitment as well as clear and concise planning from the Scottish Government and Westminster with regards to funding and incentive schemes for the renewable energy sector.

Hopefully, the new "Green Bank" proposed by the coalition government will provide the impetus required for further growth, and the confidence for manufacturers and operators to create firm plans for the future.

With this in place, Scotland's rural communities could be facing a bright future, with the re-birth of a once declining industrial landscape.

lTom Hopkinson is managing director of Taylor Hopkinson Associates