Lolland-Falster already has a share of Denmark’s offshore wind industry.
From the factory at Nakskov Harbour, some of the world’s longest wind turbine blades are shipped to offshore wind projects in areas including the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Production has also generated work for subcontractors and made ports an important part of the industry’s supply chain.
Now, much more could be on the way. An analysis by the Economic Council of the Labour Movement and the Danish Metalworkers’ Union estimates that the expansion of offshore wind in the North Sea could require 23,000 full-time workers a year towards 2050. Around 9,500 of them will need to be skilled workers – particularly mechanics, industrial technicians and metalworkers.
This could create new opportunities around Nakskov, but there is no guarantee that the jobs will end up in Lolland-Falster – or even in Denmark. A shortage of skilled labour, among other factors, could result in work being moved elsewhere.
- If we cannot meet the demand for labour, the products and components will be manufactured elsewhere, for example in China. That is precisely the development we need to avoid, Emil Drevsfeldt Nielsen, Head of Business Policy at the Danish Metalworkers’ Union, tells FemernBusiness.
He points both to the need for more young people to choose vocational education and training and to opportunities for unemployed people with other qualifications to retrain. At the same time, he believes that the physical infrastructure at the ports will also be crucial if the region is to secure new orders and jobs.
- Good production facilities, sufficient port capacity, strong quays and deep shipping channels are essential. Otherwise, the large vessels of the future will not be able to dock, says Emil Drevsfeldt Nielsen.
The race for offshore wind will therefore not be decided at sea alone. It will also be decided on land, where the workforce and investment must be secured – and where the production itself will ultimately be located.
