The New York TimesThe New York Times

Giant wind farms arise off Scotland, easing the pain of oil's decline

By Stanley Reed

27 Nov 2022 · 6 min read

Editor's Note

Across the globe, governments are investing in large offshore wind farms to meet climate-change goals. The NYT reports how European oil and gas workers find employment in the wind energy business.

WICK, Scotland — The pilot of the nearly 80-foot work boat gunned its powerful engines, pinning the bow against the base of a towering wind turbine in the smooth North Sea. Three men in yellow and orange outfits stepped onto metal rungs and started slowly scaling the nearly 300-foot structure, past the huge blades that help send electricity to Scotland.

It was a regular workday for these employees and contractors of a Scottish utility, SSE, and its partners, which operate the vast Beatrice wind farm off the northern tip of Great Britain.

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