Offshore wind farms must increase professional qualifications

The arrival of ten offshore wind energy projects in Rio Grande do Norte should increase the generation of jobs in the State and the provision of training aimed at training qualified labor to work in the sector. In total, according to the director of the Senai/RN Institute for Innovation in Renewable Energy (ISI-ER), Rodrigo Mello, the projects exceed the potential of 17 GW of installed capacity, that is, little more than double that installed in wind energy 8 GW onshore. Combined with the increase, the construction of new equipment at sea requires more than 10 times the number of workers needed to build a park on land.

Currently, the State has 10 offshore wind energy projects awaiting licensing from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). The director of the Senai Institute of Innovation points out that the expectation is that the regulation of projects will take place in the next two years so that, subsequently, the State can carry out the installation, albeit symbolic, of the first or first offshore wind energy parks before 2030 .

For the same installed capacity, as established by rule, Rodrigo Mello clarifies that more than 10 times the number of people required to build land parks are needed. “On the other hand, everything that has been developed on land in the last 15 years totals an installed capacity in Rio Grande do Norte of just over 8 Gigawatt. These 10 projects total more than 17 gigawatts. Therefore, we have requests at sea for twice the number of projects we have installed on land. So, doubly, it generates the prospect of expanding jobs”, he adds.

Continues after advertising

Given this scenario, one of the points that comes up on the radar is the need to train qualified labor to work in these spaces. In the case of the work carried out by Senai, Rodrigo Mello explains that the network gradually works to develop people focused on the renewable energy ecosystem, as happened with the arrival of onshore solar and wind sources. “We have been discussing solutions for two years to enable the new profiles needed by the energy production industry in the marine environment, that is, offshore”, he adds.

In this sense, in the next two years, the population can expect the offer of new courses and training that meet the demand of the offshore wind sector. Furthermore, points out the director of the Senai Innovation Institute, adjustments should also be made to the profiles of workers already in the renewables market. A wind turbine electrician, for example, will have the same skills both on land and at sea. To do this, the professional will develop new skills that, although not necessary on land, become important at sea.

This Tuesday (14), the source’s production chain was the subject of the event “Brazil-United Kingdom Meeting – Opportunities for the offshore wind energy chain”, hosted by Fiern and promoted by the United Kingdom Consulate in Recife (PE), in partnership with Senai do Rio Grande do Norte. The United Kingdom, it is worth remembering, has already been exploring onshore wind energy for a decade. “This exchange of experiences and practices helps countries see Rio Grande do Norte with this potential”, emphasizes the president of the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio Grande do Norte (Fiern), Roberto Serquiz.

He points out that the State is in the warm-up phase for the generation of offshore wind energy. According to mapping already carried out around the topic, Serquiz states that the capacity of 51 GW for offshore exploration in the State was found. Added to this, another study is being carried out in the equatorial strip that stretches from Amapá to Fernando de Noronha, which should identify even greater potential for the segment.

Although there is no precise deadline for the end of the processing of the 10 projects with Ibama, the president of Fiern highlights that there is already a consolidation that the potential attracts multinational companies. “Everything is very new, but Rio Grande do Norte, in addition to having its exploration potential mapped, is prepared from a support point of view. This is also a very important component for these companies to begin to visualize and see the State”, he highlights.

Combined with the results that should be generated with the arrival of new companies and generation of jobs and income, Roberto Serquiz draws attention to the role of offshore so that Rio Grande do Norte becomes an exporter of Green Hydrogen. This is because this last source can be generated from the transformation of wind energy obtained by the force of the wind. For this to happen, in this sense, the priorities have been to maintain constant updating of the Senai/RN institute for Innovation in Renewable Energy, a reference in the country, and exchange with countries that already explore offshore wind energy.