The world's energy industry could suffer as the result of a shortage of talented engineers, an expert from Atkins has declared.

Writing for Channel 4 News, the firm's managing director of energy Dr Martin Grant estimated that the global market will require an additional half a million such professionals during the coming 20 years, particularly those with "advanced technical skills".

He also pointed to an International Energy Authority forecast that $10.5 trillion will be needed in funding for power, as demand for services continues to grow and new methods of generation are developed.

The engineering and design consultancy's representative pointed to the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as evidence of the need for the most talented people to be attracted to engineering.

Dr Grant wrote: "The search for new energy sources is continuous and on an almost incomprehensible scale."

Leif Johansson, chairman of the European Roundtable of Industrialists, recently warned in comments reported by the Financial Times that companies in the region believe there is an acute shortage of skills in the engineering sector.

Posted by Kate Griffin