Green investments create jobs
As countries deploy renewable energy, it will create a local demand for green jobs and expertise and require local supply chains to support the transition. At Ørsted, we’ve estimated the job creation from our own and joint-venture partner investments in offshore wind, based on IRENA’s method. Our estimate shows that the offshore wind farms we’ve installed and have under construction create 197,000 job years in their lifetime. This corresponds to employing approx 27% of the population of Washington, D.C., for a year, or ensuring more than 5,400 average European citizens life-long employment.
As offshore wind spreads to North America and Asia Pacific, it will likely have local job effects similar to what Ørsted has experienced with its renewable energy build-out in the Humber region in the UK, Norddeich in Germany, and Esbjerg in Denmark. All three have experienced a revitalisation due to offshore wind projects with positive economic impacts in the form of more jobs, higher salaries, and local economic growth.