More than 43,000 technicians from 135 countries received GWO certified safety training in 2017, helping wind turbine manufacturers and operators reduce costs, cut duplication and improve quality.
Press Release - Copenhagen – Tuesday 13 February 2018 – Global Wind Organisation has renewed its ambition to spread standardized health and safety training for wind power technicians across the world.
More than 43,000 technicians from 135 countries received GWO certified safety training in 2017, helping wind turbine manufacturers and operators reduce costs, cut duplication and improve quality.
Now, GWO, a non-profit representing wind turbine manufacturers and operators covering more than two thirds of the market**, is targeting increased adoption of its training standards having expanded its secretariat and appointing a new Chairman.
Eloy Jáuregui, Health & Safety Manager at Acciona Energía, will lead the GWO Steering Committee as Chairman, taking over from Claus Rose who departs to focus on his role as VP Head of Occupational Health and Safety at Siemens AG. Eloy who takes up the chairmanship while maintaining his existing role at Acciona Energia will be supported by Paul Robbins, Chief Specialist Global SME Health and Safety at Vestas who was elected Vice Chair.
A well-known and respected figure in the wind energy sector, Eloy has worked in the field of health and safety since 1997 and as vice chairman of GWO since 2014. As GWO Chairman, he will guide a Steering Committee comprising Health and Safety professionals from the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturers and operators, as they support and refine the creation of new and better safety training standards.
“The cost of energy in the wind sector has been falling dramatically. In 2015, 2.5 GW of offshore wind cost over €13bn. In 2017, the same amount cost just €7.5bn*. For many wind turbine manufacturers and owners, this has pushed duplication of safety training up the corporate agenda,” says Eloy. “The sector must have access to skilled technicians to meet demand, however a lack of standardization meant people were often re-training in wind turbine basic safety and basic technical training amongst other skills, frequently duplicating knowledge they already had.
“Now, thanks to GWO standards, we avoid this by delivering a global network of independent, certified training providers helping the industry get people to work much more quickly and efficiently.”
Jakob Lau Holst, Chief Executive Officer of GWO added: “Eloy’s appointment is excellent news for GWO. 2017 was our busiest year ever, registering over 121,000 training certifications and growing our membership of turbine manufacturers and owners contributing more than two thirds of the world’s total wind turbine generating capacity**. To meet with demand, we have invested in more people at our global secretariat, so we can continue creating and refining standards. We will make further announcements about these in due course.
“I would like to thank Claus Rose who has been an incredibly helpful chairman, and I am forever grateful. As one of the founders of GWO, he has been dedicated to our mission, and without his efforts GWO would not be where it is today.
GWO is a non-profit organisation of wind turbine owners and wind turbine manufacturers, committed to the creation and adoption of standardized safety training and emergency procedures.
Independent training providers deliver GWO-certified training to delegates worldwide with 156 companies doing so in 2017.
Training records are uploaded and stored in the GWO WINDA database, allowing members to verify training records quickly and easily, helping employers avoid unnecessary spending on re-training.
*Source – Wind Europe offshore statistics report 2017
** Data extracted from publicly available sources. GWO counts eight original equipment manufacturers amongst its membership who collectively have constructed and installed 68.1% of global wind generating capacity. The remainder of GWO membership consists of turbine owners and operators
A strategic partnership between GWO and Japanese Wind Power Association will result in new industry endorsed guidelines for wind turbine technicians
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GWO is looking for certified training providers to support its review of standards from April 2024 to the rest of the year. Join us in shaping the future of safety standards in the global wind industry!
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