Engineering news
More than 2,200 workers will be needed to manufacture and construct the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, according to an independent study, which has called for skills training to get under way now.
The study, commissioned by the Welsh government, estimates that the manufacturing and assembly of the main components required for the project will support about 1,197 full time jobs during a five-year build period and an additional 28 supported per year continuing for the operation and maintenance of the power plant for the useful life of the lagoon – estimated to be a minimum of 120 years.
The majority of this labour (92%) will be required for the power generation components and of this, 83% will be required for the manufacture of turbine sets and sluice gates/stop logs. Around two thirds of the labour demand (63%) will be for technical/skilled occupations – the equivalent of Level 3 skills.
The largest proportion of jobs (49%) will be for people working in the manufacture of fabricated metal industry, 20% of jobs require people working in steel casting, and 11% for forging/stamping metals.
The manufacturing report said: "The Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project represents a significant opportunity for investment and job creation in Wales.
"However, this analysis suggests that the labour requirement will be greater than current supply levels for a few key sectors. Work is therefore required to ensure that adequate training and robust skills development strategies are implemented to ensure that Wales maximises the opportunities arising from Swansea Bay and future lagoons.
"Furthermore, to meet future demand that could arise from not only the Swansea Bay lagoon, but also future lagoons around the Welsh coast, there is a need to start training individuals now, so that they are suitably qualified and experienced to be able to capitalise on the opportunities."
The study estimated the project would create 1,035 construction jobs, which would mainly comprise of plant operatives — including specialist ones — maritime-related occupations, wood trades and interior fit-out tradesmen, and labourers.
The construction report said that in the short term there was capacity in the labour market for the building of the lagoon, but there could be competition longer term from other big infrastructure projects.
The study estimates that at present, Wales has the capability to provide 54% of the manufacturing and assembly of the main components requirements. With sufficient investment to fill the gaps in Welsh capability – most notably in securing the required machinery and facilities – the capacity in Wales could, in theory, be expanded to provide some 92% of activities.