Photo by Nicholas Doherty

Scotland’s renewable energy industry supported an estimated 49,200 full-time equivalent jobs and £14.9 billion of economic output in 2024, according to the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute. The analysis was commissioned by Scottish Renewables and also estimates £5.1 billion of gross value added.

Offshore wind supported the most jobs of any technology, at 18,800 FTE. It was followed by onshore wind (17,825), hydropower (4,100) and renewable heat (3,025).

The report highlights several marine developments over 2023 to 2024. Seagreen, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, became fully operational in 2023 and supports around 80 direct jobs at Montrose Port. Sumitomo Electric began building a £350 million subsea cable factory at Nigg, expected to support around 250 jobs.

A call to both governments

Scottish Renewables published the figures on Autumn Budget day. Chief executive Angela Hepworth said: “The UK Government must back Scotland’s pipeline in its strategic energy plans and ensure projects can compete in future auctions, while the Scottish Government must speed up planning decisions.”

Professor Stuart McIntyre of the University of Strathclyde said: “There is also a significant opportunity for Scotland to capture more of the economic benefits associated with investment in the sector, but this will depend on having the right skills, infrastructure and supply chains in place.”

The authors caution that renewables are not separately identified in the National Accounts, so the estimates combine ONS survey data with a model of the Scottish economy. Because of survey uncertainty, data revisions and an updated model, the full report should not be read as a measure of year-on-year growth or compared directly with previous editions.