Siemens boss warns of green energy skills shortage

The boss of one of the UK's largest manufacturers of wind turbines has said up to 500,000 more workers were needed in order to meet net zero targets in the coming years.

Darren Davidson, the UK and Ireland boss of Siemens Energy, said the green skills gap was one of the biggest challenges facing the sector as it goes through a period of "unprecedented growth".

He also suggested that focusing too much on wind and solar at the expense of other technologies could undermine plans.

The government said it would work with partners to support British workers and provide the skills necessary for the clean energy jobs of the future.

Siemens Energy owns the country's biggest factory for wind turbine blades, in Hull, which opened in 2016 and now has 1,300 workers.

Mr Davidson said the company was set to play a key role in Labour's plans to decarbonise the power system and quadruple the amount of energy generated by offshore wind farms by the end of the decade.

"There's never been a better time to be in the energy sector. There are so many different technologies and types of jobs.

"We've created an environment in Hull where we've gone from zero to 1,300 jobs. We found the market in Hull and have been able to recruit locally because people there want to be part of those types of jobs."

However, he said it was "getting tough", adding that creating a workforce with the right skills "is probably one of the challenges [Britain] needs to get right as we move forward".

The UK has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, which means a country takes as much planet-warming gases out of the atmosphere as it puts in.

There are also plans to decarbonise the power grid by 2030.

Mr Davidson said in order to achieve this, more action was also needed on other technologies like hydrogen and long-duration energy storage.

Siemens Energy also has a gas turbine factory in Lincoln that employs about 1,500 people. Mr Davidson said he wanted to adapt the plant so it can operate on hydrogen gas.

"If the conditions are correct, that is something that we would look to invest in, but we need to have confidence in the market before we decide to," he added.

In response, a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: "Our transition to clean, homegrown power will create a new generation of good jobs across the country.

"The Office for Clean Energy Jobs is at the heart of the government's plans to reach clean power by 2030 and will highlight the job opportunities from this transition.

"It will work closely with Skills England, trade unions, experts and industry to support British workers and provide the skills necessary for the clean energy jobs of the future," they added.

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