Opportunities for maintenance engineers in the UK wind sector

The UK remains committed to producing 15 per cent of its total energy from renewables by 2020. This is based on the Climate Change Act, which requires emissions cuts of 80 per cent by 2050. Now, the government is ramping up efforts to make sure these goals are met, with wind energy at the heart of its plans.

According to Renewable UK, Britain could power itself several times over using wind. And it’s on track to make significant inroads into the country’s renewable goals. In just 10 years, wind energy’s contribution to UK electricity needs has grown from less than one per cent to 10 per cent. Today, it provides more renewable electricity than all other sources combined. As a result, the UK’s wind sector is enjoying record levels of employment.

“We don’t have figures on how this is set to grow,” said Adam Wentworth, a spokesperson for Renewable UK. “However, it’s clear that demand will be in line with strong growth in wind-farm projects in recent years. These wind farms have a lifespan of 25 years and technicians work on them throughout this period. For example, Scottish Power Renewables is developing its East Anglia One offshore wind farm; a £2.5bn investment requiring an estimated 3,000 skilled employees.”