In a study released yesterday, Ecofys assessed the economic impact of Dutch offshore wind energy. Commissioned by the Dutch Top consortium Knowledge and Innovation Offshore Wind Energy (TKI-WoZ), the study finds that offshore wind energy has so far created 2150 full-time jobs and generated a turnover of 900 million euro in 2014.
The ambition of the TKI-WoZ is to reduce the costs of offshore wind energy by 40% in 2020 (compared to 2010), and to strengthen the related economic activities in the Netherlands, with a strong international competitive presence of Dutch industries as a result. Quantifying the economic impact, however, is not a straightforward exercise. One issue is the lack of data that could be used as a basis to calculate employment figures and turnover. For this study, Ecofys has developed a more complete, structural and advanced method of monitoring this economic impact. The approach is a bottom-up, project-based methodology that was applied from 2012/2013 through 2014.
In 2012/2013, the direct employment equalled over 1900 full-time equivalents (fte) which grew to 2150 by 2014. The turnover increased from 800 in 2013 to over 900 million euro in the running year. Dutch employment is mainly created in labour-intensive processes like production and construction of materials, notably for offshore wind projects abroad. Exploitation and development of projects represent about 240 jobs, whereas R&D, innovation projects and policy making generate 300 fte. The employment in Dutch projects (development, construction and operation) grew from about 600 to over 800 fte.