en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Scottish Government has awarded nearly £1.7 million (approximately €2 million) in funding to three offshore wind skills development projects to support workforce training in the country's growing offshore wind industry.

Announced on June 22, the funding will be used to establish a regional skills center in the Highlands and Islands, expand engineering construction industry training programs, and support offshore wind training courses at North East Scotland College. The funds are allocated through the Offshore Wind Skills Programme (OWSP) and are expected to leverage an equivalent amount of private sector investment.

The University of the Highlands and Islands received the largest share of funding, totaling £1.17 million (approximately €1.38 million). The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board received £372,842 (approximately €440,000), and North East Scotland College received £135,162 (approximately €160,000).

The Scottish Government established the Offshore Wind Skills Programme (OWSP) earlier this year with a total budget of £3.85 million (approximately €4.54 million), aimed at developing the workforce needed to support the expansion of Scotland's offshore wind industry. Energy Minister Stephen Gethins stated that industry reports estimate offshore wind could support up to 49,000 jobs in Scotland, and the government is focusing on skills to ensure communities benefit from employment opportunities and businesses have the skilled workforce needed for growth.

The funding announcement was made ahead of a visit to the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, where representatives from Scotland and Ireland met with participants of the Scottish-Irish Offshore Wind Internship Pilot, a program supporting 20 paid internships in the offshore wind sector.

Buchan Offshore Wind, developer of Scotland's 1 GW floating wind project, welcomed the government's decision. Clare Lavelle, Project Director at the company, stated that continued investment in workforce development is crucial to realizing Scotland's floating wind ambitions. According to Lavelle, the Buchan floating offshore wind farm is expected to support 2,900 Scottish jobs during construction, contribute over £900 million (approximately €1.06 billion) to the Scottish economy, and generate more than £2 billion (approximately €2.36 billion) in lifetime economic value.

The Buchan Offshore Wind project, planned approximately 75 kilometers northeast of Fraserburgh, will consist of up to 70 turbines installed on BW Ideol's Damping Pool floating foundation technology, with a target grid connection date of 2033. In May, the Buchan Offshore Wind consortium, comprising BayWa r.e., Elicio, and BW Ideol, received planning permission from Aberdeenshire Council for the onshore infrastructure needed to connect the proposed 1 GW floating wind farm to the grid.

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