Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2024 28final

Global Wind
Workforce
Outlook
2024-2028
1
Table of contents
Chapter 1 Executive Summary 5

Chapter 2 Growing Demand for Training and Safety Training Standards 10
Chapter 3 Wind Workforce Dynamics 12
Chapter 4 Global Wind Workforce Outlook, 2024-2028 14
Chapter 5 Country Commentaries 17
Special Feature Bridging the Gap: AI Innovation in Offshore Wind 43
Chapter 6 Methodology: The Wind Workforce Model 45
Definitions 48
Copyright © November 2024 Permissions and usage:
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Authors:
Design:
Haiqing Wang (GWO)
William Redfern Graphic Design, United Kingdom
Ian Buckland (GWO)
Publication Date:
Feng Zhao (GWEC)
28 November 2024
Anjali Lathigara (GWEC)
Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2024-2028 2

Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2024-2028
Ben Backwell, CEO, Jakob Lau Holst,

Global Wind Energy Council CEO, Global Wind Organisation
The tripling renewables target adopted mobilising finance and investing in grids and standards as they are developed Developed in partnership by GWEC and
at COP28 was a historic milestone for and storage are key to the required rapid for the industry and by the industry GWO the Outlook is more relevant every
the wind industry, as it set out clearly scaling up of the wind sector. So too is through organisations such as GWO, year. This year our data and methodology
that the adoption of wind energy, building up the workforce; the skilled GWEC, G+ and IMCA. The industry’s are further revised to ensure a robust
alongside other renewable energy people who are ready and able to large employers have a duty of care forecast that can allow for a clearer
sources, was key to achieving the construct, install, operate and maintain across multiple jurisdictions and use their understanding of the workforce
landmark Paris Agreement. Last the necessary infrastructure. deep understanding of the safety and challenges facing our sector. We have
year, 2023, was a record year for new technical issues to build appropriate best considered the supply of labour in ten key
renewable energy installations, with Global Wind Organisation and the Global practices and standards. Secondly, invest markets and how public policy positions in
Wind Energy Council are amplifying the in vocational education and training and those regions are supporting or hindering
wind energy alone reaching 117 GW.
call for change that addresses the use the best global practices to build local prospects for skilled and competent
Despite record-breaking growth,
industry’s workforce challenges of how workforce that possess the appropriate workforces. The message is loud and
the global effort to triple renewable
to scale up installation and reduce gaps. skill sets to be readily employable and clear, let us refocus on people. Young job
energy by 2030 is falling short. The
This jointly produced fifth edition of the so deliver on our targets for energy seekers and transitioning workers alike
latest tracking report co-released by
Outlook offers a framework for workforce transition. Finally, remove national and must be empowered to enter renewables.
IRENA, the COP29 Presidency and the
growth to support its forecast that at least local regulation that doubles up on Business as usual won’t be enough to
Global Renewables Alliance reveals a
532,000 skilled technicians will be needed industry’s own requirements, especially stay within the International Renewable
significant say-do gap in progress to for C&I and O&M work in the global wind where local requirements unintentionally Energy Agency’s 1.5°C scenario and avoid
meet the COP28 Consensus target, industry by 2028. In addition the Outlook act as barriers to international mobility the worst effects of climate change.
and keeping 1.5°C within reach. also shows how the challenge of delivering of skilled workforce. For most projects,
this opportunity is heightened by the lack teams mixing of experienced persons
This presents a unique opportunity, and of new entrants and a natural attrition that with local workers will be crucial to
a unique challenge, for the wind industry. widens the gap between available workers ensuring the safety of all workers and
To deliver the target, we need to rapidly and the growing demand from industry. keeping to project timelines.
accelerate annual wind installations to
at least 320 GW, which would bring us to For GWEC and GWO standardisation and
3.5 TW of cumulative wind energy capacity international cooperation are the keys to
by the end of this decade. The challenge is scaling up at pace. Governments need
that it’s now time for action! Streamlining to focus on three things. First, recognise
permitting, building resilient supply chains, and apply international best practices
Foreword 3
Brian Allen, CEO, Lead sponsor
Beam
The wind industry stands at a historic However, as advanced as our technologies 2. Diversity and innovation: As we prepare to gather at the GWEC APAC
moment of transformation. New global may be, the true driver of our success lies Creating an inclusive environment Wind Energy Summit in the Republic of Korea,
onshore wind power installations in our people. This focus is particularly that draws talent from all backgrounds these workforce dynamics take on special
surpassed the 100 GW milestone last critical given the sector’s workforce is essential for driving innovation significance for the Asia-Pacific region.
year and total installed wind capacity dynamics. By 2028, this Outlook forecasts and building resilience. Different This year’s wind workforce outlook insights
reached 1,021 GW. Technology and the industry will need over 532,400 perspectives lead to better solutions, illuminate both the scale of the challenge
innovation are key enablers to technicians, with offshore wind technicians making diversity not just an ethical and the transformative opportunities ahead.
unlocking the full potential of wind expected to comprise 76,181 (14.3%). This is imperative but a business necessity. Successfully scaling of wind energy
power, as rapid scaling will be essential a dramatic increase from just 2.6% in 2018. deployment depends not only on
3. Global collaboration:
technological advancement but on our ability
to meet future energy demands. These challenges transcend borders.
The GWO and GWEC Global Wind to build, nurture, and retain a skilled workforce.
Building a robust talent pipeline
Workforce Outlook comes at a critical time,
At Beam we leverage AI, autonomous requires global cooperation in sharing
as the industry faces three fundamental Looking ahead, Beam remains committed
vessels, and autonomous underwater knowledge, resources, and best
challenges: to investing in both technological innovation
vehicles to deliver high-quality survey, practices. This collaborative approach
and human capital. While our autonomous
operations, maintenance, and UXO services is crucial for embedding globally
1. Workforce development: systems and AI solutions make wind farm
to offshore wind farms around the world. standardised training and safety
Exponential growth in wind energy site characterisation, construction or O&M
This technological innovation is crucial as protocols across markets.
construction, installation, operations and faster and more efficient, we recognise that
the industry prepares for extraordinary
maintenance requires a corresponding our people, the workforce behind wind, are
growth, with global operational wind
investment in people and skills. From the true drivers of transformation. Through
capacity to exceed 1,800 GW by 2028.
AI specialists to marine technicians, the collaboration and partnership with
a skilled workforce that can harness GWEC and GWO, we are working to create
the technological advancements able to a stronger, more capable workforce that
overcome the increasingly sophisticated can accelerate the global transition
challenges it faces. Only by aligning to renewable energy.
industry requirements with national
industrial skills strategies to fund training Brian Allen
and development can we bridge the CEO, Beam
growing skills gap.
https://beam.global/
Foreword 4
Chapter 1:
Executive summary
In 2023 the world saw global new wind power installations surpass the 100 GW This report examines four aspects of 3. Challenges: What challenges does
milestone for the first time following the integration of 105.6 GW of onshore wind workforce development in the wind the wind industry face in meeting
and 10.8 GW offshore wind capacity. Thanks to this record installations, global industry through the following guiding workforce supply needs?
cumulative wind power capacity passed the 1 TW milestone in 2023, showing year on questions:
4. Technology: How do advancements
year growth of 13%. Behind these figures lies an expanding workforce and it is these in technology impact workforce
extraordinary people and their training needs that remains the focus of this report. 1. Supply and Demand: How many
requirements within the wind industry?
wind technicians will be needed in the
The Global Wind Workforce Outlook builds becomes available. The report’s forecast coming years, and what will the future
upon GWO’s earlier Wind Workforce Model for training needs is therefore a fraction workforce structure look like? Where
and leverages GWEC’s global wind market (albeit a large one) of the expansive job does the current workforce stand
intelligence as the primary inputs to predict opportunities which will be generated compared to future needs and what
the number of people required for the C&I by the growth of wind energy worldwide. gaps must be filled to meet
and O&M segments of the value chain That said, the Outlook’s focus areas are those demands?
across global onshore and offshore wind critical to the final stages of wind energy 2. Policy: What are the main factors
from 2024 to 2028. commissioning: the ‘all hands on deck’ driving global workforce demand,
period that sees projects move from and how do policies in ten key
The model used for this Outlook focuses planning into planning into operation. countries shape workforce
on two phases (C&I and O&M) of the Addressing the workforce shortages in development? What policies
full wind value chain where globally these areas can deliver immediate and are required to further support
recognised training standards like GWO tangible results, accelerating sector and foster industry growth?
training are applicable. Manufacturing, growth and supporting our industry’s
decommissioning and repowering stages contribution to global climate goals.
and ancillary services to the wind industry
such as transport and logistics fall
outside the scope of this report, but may
be considered in future editions as data
5
Key findings This global workforce supply challenge This has posed a critical challenge given the between 2024 and 2028. If the growth
According to GWEC Market Intelligence, is amplified by technicians leaving the growing number of offshore wind projects of active GWO certified wind technicians
annual wind capacity additions are wind industry through churn. The typical and the increasing demand for a skilled continues at the current rate, we anticipate
projected to grow significantly from churn rate for wind technicians in the workforce to meet commissioning targets. that 320,316 of them will be available in
131 GW in 2024 to 182 GW by 2028. C&I and O&M phases is 6%. However, 2028. This will result in an unmet need of
By the end of 2028, total global based on GWO intelligence, the overall Assuming the workforce demand in 2023 212,097 new trained entrants to the
operational wind capacity is expected the offshore segment shows a higher was fulfilled, meeting the 2028 forecast workforce by this time (see figure 1).
to surpass 1,800 GW. In line with this annual turnover rate of 15%, posing a means approximately 40% of the total
growth, the total number of technicians challenge for employers. workforce will need to be recruited
needed is expected to exceed 532,400.
The number working in the Construction Figure 1: workforce
Workforce demand demand and
and active active certified
certified technicians
technicians (2018-2028)
estimation (2018-2028)
and Installation(C&I) segment is forecast
to reach 307,790 by 2028, with 251,109 550,273
525,785 534,588 532,413
509,911 517,656 520,117
working onshore and 56,681 offshore. 493,951
Similarly, the total number of Operations 448,946
439,505
& Maintenance (O&M) technicians 414,286
is expected to increase to 224,623,
including 205,123 onshore and 19,500
offshore. Comparing the total workforce 288,356
264,403
in 2018, when offshore wind technicians 240,449
216,495
made up only 10,639 (2.6%), demand has 192,541
grown significantly. By 2028, the number 168,586
144,731
of offshore technicians is forecast to 119,414
99,484
be more than seven times that number, 71,024 85,050
at 76,181 (14.3%), reflecting substantial
growth in both absolute numbers and
share of the total workforce. 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024e 2025e 2026e 2027e 2028e
Workforce demand Active certified technicians Active certified technicians (forecast)
Source: GWEC, GWO 2024
Chapter 1: Executive summary 6

Figure 2: windand
GW demand installation
shortfallforecast falling short of IEA’s net-zero pathway
of generation It is important to note that the current the Workforce Forecast Model predicts
forecast on wind installation falls short that the global wind market will experience
GW
of IEA’s net-zero pathway. To go beyond a shortfall of technicians for C&I and
the ‘business as usual’ scenario and O&M roles, with approximately 6-8% of
350
320 reach net zero by 2030, annual wind vacancies left unfilled. While this is not
300
capacity additions must reach 320 GW yet a critical issue for employers, rapid
with a corresponding stretch in industry growth will increasingly result
250
workforce demand (see figure 2). in a workforce with less experience and
lower skill levels. This trend will be driven
The wind industry has long reported by technicians transitioning from other
200
challenges in finding enough qualified industries and a growing influx of young
182 wind technicians to meet its operational graduates entering the talent pool.
171 150
117 159 needs. Despite the clear demand,
148
79 131 there is currently limited reliable data To meet global wind power ambitions,
100
available to quantify the actual shortage an efficient supply chain must be in place
of technicians in the industry. This lack for all aspects, including workforce
50
of visibility means the industry has an development. Government and industry-
incomplete picture of the number of led initiatives for training and certification
0
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2030 open positions or how this workforce play an important role supporting a just and
Installation forecast Installation to meet Net Zero target gap aligns with projected future demand equitable energy transition away from fossil
for technicians. As the leading body fuels, while offering win-wins that advance
Source: GWEC, IEA
for wind technician training standards, socio-economic opportunities, ensure
GWO is well-positioned to fill this gap safety and supporting stable growth within
in knowledge. With a strong global the wind industry. With these initiatives
presence, expanding training initiatives, proliferating locally, nationally and globally,
and years of experience tracking this Outlook (see chapter 4) takes the
workforce development across regions, opportunity to review these and draw initial
GWO insights into available qualified conclusions on the accumulating good
technicians provide a robust foundation practice now in evidence.
for the forecast. In the study period,

In particular, this report examines Table 1: forecast capacity installation, workforce demand and number of technicians requiring training
the policy and workforce outlook for
10 countries where wind power is New capacity Cumulative capacity Workforce demand New entrants requiring
on the rise: Australia, Brazil, China (2024-2028) (2023) (2028) training (2024-2028)
(excluding Chinese Taiwan), Germany,
Australia 9,500 11,479 5,715 3,636
India, Republic of Korea, Philippines,
Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the Brazil 16,300 30,449 12,370 4,399
United States. These markets represent
76% (608GW, see table 1) of all new China 432,000 441,100 205,291 203,867
onshore and offshore wind capacity Germany 34,793 70,829 35,700 24,594
additions(791GW) expected worldwide
over the five-year forecast period. India 23,320 44,736 36,736 26,300
Training needs in these 10 countries
Republic of Korea 4,130 1,969 2,959 2,152
constitute 73% of the total number of
C&I and O&M technicians in 2028. When Philippines 3,380 593 1,917 549
setting targets for safety training 100%
Saudi Arabia 4,750 422 1,788 1,784
coverage of technicians in scope is a
robust basis. Considering this assumption South Africa 4,700 3,442 2,561 1,230
and accounting for technician turnover,
over 320,000 new entry level technicians United States of America 75,253 150,628 80,988 67,319
entering the industry by 2028 require
Total selected markets 608,126 755,648 386,025 321,734
standardised training in the 10 countries.

Figure
Global 3:Workforce
Wind forecast number
Outlook of people requiring C&I and O&M training to meet wind energy growth as of the end of 2028.
2024-2028
(Additional C&I and O&M wind technicians requiring training from 2024-2028)
China
205,291
Germany
35,700
USA
80,988
Republic
of Korea
2,959
Saudi Arabia
1,788 Philippines
1,917
India
Brazil 36,736
12,370
Australia
5,715
Global total
532,413 South Africa
2,561
9
Chapter 2:
Growing demand for training and safety training standards
Since 2020, GWO and GWEC have worked together to produce the Global Wind pathway known as the GWO Entry Level Growing demand for
Workforce Outlook. Now in its fifth edition, it continues to serve as a unique source Framework. This combination of GWO standardised training
for workforce and training volumes in the wind industry. In this edition two new courses for entry-level job profiles The number of wind technicians
elements have been added. First, a special feature discussing AI and its potential includes GWO Basic Technical Training worldwide holding a valid record in
impact on wind technician employment and secondly; a summary of how public and GWO Basic Safety Training plus a WINDA for at least one module has
policy is being deployed to support workforce expansion. variety of additional courses specific to almost doubled, from around 100,000
the task, site and employer. As GWO’s in 2020 to over 190,000 in 2023.
The benefits of standardisation environment, they prioritise standards remit has expanded, standards around These ‘Active Participants’ demonstrate
that materially impact the largest possible instructor training and other aspects of the growing trained workforce and allow
The global wind industry collaborates
number of wind turbine technicians. Their the renewable industry have also been employers to benchmark the available
through GWO, setting internationally
inclusive design process ensures that these added to the portfolio. workforce that is trained according to
recognised standards that address
the most common activities, risks and standards are practical and fit for purpose. internationally recognised standards.
The global community of training The number of technicians requiring
hazards technicians encounter in their
The GWO training standards portfolio GWO standards are recognised GWO training is projected to exceed
work. This approach reduces complexity,
The current GWO wind technician training and used in 56 countries, and can be 500,000 in 2024. The high demand is
eliminates duplication, and enhances
portfolio is divided into 27 modules accessed at more than 570 training expected to continue, necessitating a
long-term productivity among wind
grouped into 11 standards. Some of centres certified to deliver GWO significant scale-up of training providers
technicians. Certification of GWO training
the modules teach enduring skills that courses. The course certificates and educational facilities in wind markets
centres and the upload of records
technicians practise every day at work, (referred to as training records) are globally. Compared with the previous
into WINDA1 ensures quality, enabling
participants and their employers to verify while other skills that are not used on a owned by the individual wind technician, forecast made last year, this number
technicians’ training levels. daily basis, such as practising first aid and can be verified in an online global is lower due to a revision in the key
or rescuing an injured person from the training records database. Using assumption regarding the technician-
How are GWO training standards nacelle, must be refreshed regularly. this central database to log training to-turbine ratio, which has been adjusted
developed? records establishes a mechanism for downward for the onshore O&M segment
transparency and accountability for these (see elaboration in Chapter 4, page 14).
GWO training standards are developed In 2022, the OEMs and developers
core skills across the supply chain and for
through collaboration between safety and comprising GWO’s membership aligned
all teams working on a given site.
training experts from the world’s leading their descriptions for entry-level job
wind industry employers. By combining profiles for wind technicians, and agreed
their knowledge and data on the risks on skills, knowledge and abilities that
and hazards within the wind turbine can be acquired through a training
1
WINDA is the Global Wind Industry Training Records Database designed with the primary purpose of verifying the certification status of GWO Certified Training Providers
and the training status of Course Participants who have attended GWO certified training courses. 10
Marrying global standards Table 2: GWO standards and modules applicable to onshore and offshore wind technicians
with local market conditions
The role of employers in defining Onshore, Onshore, Offshore, Offshore, Refresher
the training needs of individual wind C&I O&M C&I O&M
technicians is paramount and GWO
Advanced rescue training – all four modules ● ● ● ● Yes
training standards are only ever
recommended in step with local legal Basic safety training – first aid, fire awareness manual
● ● ● ● Yes
frameworks and employer specific handling and working at heights modules
training. To extend the specific applicability
Basic safety training – sea survival module ● ● Yes
of trainings such as GWO’s Entry Level
Framework to individual labour markets Basic technical training – bolt tightening module ● ● ● ● No
during 2023 and 2024, GWO has worked
with local wind industry associations to Basic technical training – electrical module ● ● No
create tailor-made entry-level training
Basic technical training – hydraulics module ● ● No
guides for the United States (partnering
with American Clean Power) and Basic technical training – installation module ● ● No
Japan (with the Japanese Wind Power
Basic technical training – mechanical module ● ● ● ● No
Association). All guidelines are rooted
in the GWO Entry Level Framework. Blade repair (comprises single module only) ● ● ● ● No
Control of hazardous energies – all three modules ● ● ● ● Yes
Crane and hoist – basic user module ● ● ● ● No
Crane and hoist – inspection and maintenance module ● ● No
Enhanced first aid (comprises single module only) ● ● ● ● Yes
Service lift – all three modules ● ● ● ● No
Slinger signaller (comprises single module only) ● ● ● ● No
Chapter 2: Growing demand for training and safety training standards 11

Chapter 3:
Wind workforce dynamics
As total global wind power installations is projected to increase from 1,153 GW and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) gains will also have a more significant
in 2024 to 1,810 GW by 2028 (a 57% growth) there is a pressing need for a skilled can vary significantly. Demand for impact on the onshore segment with all
workforce to install and maintain this expanding wind fleet. This trend presents maintenance has a linear relationship four factors contributing to the trend of
a significant opportunity for training providers and educators to expand and with the size of the installed fleet, with requiring fewer technicians on average
enhance their delivery of skilled workforce training. O&M employment having a steady each year to maintain an onshore turbine.
but lower growth profile which proves
The Global Wind Workforce Outlook is manufacturing (traditionally the most resilient to year-over-year fluctuations in Technological improvements
based on the latest intelligence available labour-intensive segment in certain installed volumes. In contrast, demand Over time, wind farm maintenance
within the industry. The model’s latest markets), transport, decommissioning for C&I activity is more volatile by nature, has become increasingly systematised,
update is configured to use GWEC’s and repowering. The GWO Wind Workforce with employment patterns varying with with a move away from primarily manual
Global Wind Report data as its primary Model will continue to be refined on an the annual cycles of installation. While and labour-intensive practices towards
input and focuses on the total number of ongoing basis to build in more granular, investment in new capacity requires predictive maintenance technology and
wind technicians involved in the C&I and country and industry-specific project intense C&I activity and has a substantial remote monitoring systems that are now
O&M phases of the onshore and offshore data, progressively reducing the degree impact on employment during the widely adopted in real-world conditions.
wind capacity installed globally each of uncertainty in the results. For instance, early years of industry development, Sensors on wind turbines, particularly
year from 2024 to 2028. These numbers the current need for skills refresher demand for O&M work starts to grow those monitoring gearboxes, vibrations
represent the total number of people who training which lies within the scope of slowly but gains traction as the installed and temperatures, play a crucial role in
will need to receive training to acquire or GWO standards is not considered in base becomes more significant. We detecting early signs of wear, enabling
refresh their safety and technical skills the forecast. Refresher training is an estimate that on average, constructing the successful implementation of
during each year of the forecast. additional opportunity for training providers and installing one onshore turbine predictive maintenance. This approach
and educators. GWO is confident that requires around 12 full-time equivalents greatly improves labour planning and
Scope of forecast continuously improving the GWO Wind (FTEs), while approximately 18.4 FTEs boosts productivity. As a result, some
Workforce Model will help the industry are needed for the construction and wind farms have achieved such high levels
Wind industry workforce needs outside
to better understand the volume of the installation of an offshore turbine. of operational efficiency that no human
of the C&I and O&M stages, that is, other
segments of the wind project lifecycle, C&I and O&M workforce and stimulate staff is needed for regular maintenance,
are excluded from this forecast. This further discussions and research. Overall workforce growth is being relying entirely on automated systems
wider wind value chain is therefore larger influenced by three factors: technology and remote monitoring to ensure optimal
than the workforce eligible for GWO Getting a handle on workforce trends improvements, the characteristics of the performance.
training identified in this report and covers The dynamics of workforce demand demand-side lifecycle and synergies with
research and development, procurement, in Construction & Installation (C&I) third-party service providers. Efficiency
12
Growth of third-party service providers requirements are relatively low. This offshore turbines often requires prime a local market while simultaneously
These companies supply skilled lifecycle pattern further reduces the specialised vessels, such as service potentially meeting local social justice and
technicians who travel between wind need for a large, dedicated on-site operation vessels (SOVs) or helicopters. workforce objectives.
farms to address maintenance needs, maintenance workforce during this Travel time also plays a role here, again
offering flexibility and specialised period. Considering all these factors, complicated by weather conditions. To Impacts of building technician supply
expertise. As a result, wind farms may hire estimates suggest that an average of compensate for lost time from travel Importantly, both C&I and O&M require
fewer full-time, on-site technicians and between 0.10 and 0.20 technician per and to ensure more rapid responses to significant access to skilled wind
rely on third-party providers to handle turbine is needed each year for O&M, operational issues, some large offshore technicians, which requires planning for
non-urgent or routine tasks. This approach based on workload projections converted wind farms maintain a permanent local recruitment and supply of training.
allows wind farms to maintain a smaller into full-time equivalent employees. on-site maintenance crew, housed in The volume of wind technicians
core team to handle urgent issues while accommodation platforms (APs). Such trained locally can also help to deliver
optimising maintenance efficiency by The impact of geography logistical complexity means that, even socioeconomic benefits to the communities
bringing in external technicians as needed. The impact of automation and remote with technological advancements, hosting wind projects and related
monitoring technologies has been felt offshore installations typically need more infrastructure and facilities, and may provide
Turbine lifecycle sharpest on the offshore wind fleet, reducing technicians per turbine compared with a response to the potential displacement of
some of the need for on-site personnel. their onshore counterparts that benefit workers from sunset industries associated
The lifecycle of wind turbines is another
Offshore wind turbines tend to be larger and from quicker access and lower travel with the fossil fuel sector.
key factor influencing wind turbine
more powerful, which can result in longer to the site costs.
maintenance demands. Maintenance
needs are higher during two phases: maintenance windows for each turbine.
early in the turbine’s life when frequent While fewer turbines may be required While large markets are showing a trend
adjustments are required after to achieve the same energy capacity as towards localisation of wind technician
installation, and later as the turbine onshore farms, the maintenance demands pathways, the delivery of GWO training
nears decommissioning, when wear and per turbine can still contribute to a greater itself is following training provider
tear lead to increased repair needs. In overall labour requirement. market forces. One trend here is that
contrast, the middle phase of the lifecycle ambitious training providers are offering
tends to see lower maintenance demand. Another significant location factor is participants training across national
With a typical wind turbine lifespan of the complexity and access challenges borders. This is particularly common
around 20 years, the majority of turbines associated with offshore wind farms. Due with small local markets or during
currently in operation worldwide are in to their remote locations and the harsher commissioning and installation stages
this middle stage, where maintenance environmental conditions, accessing in less mature wind markets, which can
Chapter 3: Wind workforce dynamics 13

Chapter 4:
Global Wind Workforce Outlook, 2024-2028
Workforce growth remains strong. The industry trend for significantly more subsea robot inspections, is nibbling into 33,808 vacancies, which represents
offshore wind installation is a key driver of growth in workforce demand. Looking wind technician demand. We anticipate a quarter of the available workforce.
back to the situation in 2023, offshore wind technicians accounted for 10% that in the next five years, the majority
(43,583) of the total workforce. This proportion is expected to increase to 14.3% of the wind fleet will be in its midlife Despite this small dampening effect,
by 2028, representing a total of 76,181 technicians. This strong growth continues phase and consequently will have lower workforce demand remains high,
to support a recommendation for targeted interventions to increase the workforce maintenance needs. This trend dampens re-enforcing the need for the industry
by the end of the forecast period in 2028, when the total C&I and O&M workforce the need for additional, new workforce to collaborate with educators and
demand is expected to exceed 532,400 technicians. as existing technicians are able to deliver governments to ensure that energy
the O&M needs of a larger number of transition ambitions are aligned with
Looking at these trends in more depth, Revised coefficient midlife turbines. At the same time it workforce planning on a national and sub-
the total number of offshore technicians reduces operational fragmentation, offers national scale. Strategies to establish and
Continuous improvement is a core
will grow more rapidly, with an expected synergies across multiple wind farms support local education and training centres
principle behind forecast generation.
increase of 50% from 2024 to 2028 and and increases the efficiency of individual to target the recruitment and training of
A review of key assumptions was
with offshore O&M technicians especially turbine technicians. local workforces will continue to be a key
undertaken in preparation for this edition
in demand forecast to grow 87% from approach to answering this demand.
of the Global Wind Workforce Outlook.
10,4k in 2023 to 19,5k in 2028. The pace This resulted in a revised, lower O&M Strong demand remains
of change will be tempered by fewer coefficient* for the number of technicians Comparing last year’s report with the Global workforce shortage
offshore machines needing a substantial needed per MW installed capacity. As a restated figure for the same year, the GWO has a strong global presence. As of
presence of personnel on site, partly result, the overall workforce demand has revision of the GWO Wind Workforce the end of 2024, approximately 185,000
offsetting the efficiency gains achieved decreased. This was due to technological Model’s O&M coefficient* has resulted individuals held at least one valid GWO
through higher turbine rating. In contrast, advancements and lifecycle demands. in a 7% reduction in the headline figure. training certificate, which represents
the number of onshore technicians is Technological advancements, especially The challenge remains that although this 35% of the estimated global technician
expected to remain nearly unchanged product development and automation, figure refers to around 39,000 fewer wind workforce. Outside of mainland China,
between 2024-2028 and 86% of have significantly reduced the demand technicians than previously forecast, the GWO-trained technicians fulfill over
technicians will still be located onshore for turbine operation and maintenance shortfall between the actual demand and 60% of regional demand. This significant
by 2028. In 2024, the onshore demand is (O&M). As this technology evolves, the anticipated workforce in place in 2028 presence allows us to estimate the total
projected to reach 467,135 technicians, substitution of wind technicians by still offers significant challenges for the number of available technicians by region,
and 456,232 by 2028. process automation and other technical industry to obtain the skilled workforce it thereby facilitating an understanding of
support services, such as remote IT needs to deliver its objectives. By 2028, the gap between available technicians
support, drone pilots and AI-powered the labour gap is projected to exceed and industry demand.
* Note: The estimation of labour shortage depends on GWO training records. Countries with very low GWO penetration (including China) have been excluded from our calculation
of the total number of active technicians. 14
Figure 4: workforce
Workforce demand bydemand by onshore
Onshore and offshore
and Offshore Figure 5: demand
Workforce demandbyby
segment
segment
Workforce (FTE) Workforce (FTE)
600,000 600,000
Onshore C&I workforce
53K Onshore O&M workforce
58K 68K 76K
500,000 39K 51K 53K 500,000
498K 44K Offshore C&I workforce
11K 471K
36K 467K 467K 467K 467K 456K Offshore O&M workforce
27K 450K
400,000 404K 412K 413K 400,000
300,000 300,000
200,000 200,000
100,000 100,000
0 0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2016 2020 2024 2028
Source: GWEC, GWO 2024 Onshore Offshore Source: GWEC, GWO 2024
The estimated gap is calculated by to increase at historical rates of a given It’s important to note that this shortage projections indicate that only 182 GW
comparing projected demand for region. The aggregation of regional is not solely driven by technician turnover will be added by 2028, resulting in a
technicians with anticipated supply, using technician shortage reveals potential (estimated 6%); employee churn occurs significant shortfall that could hinder
GWO’s training data as a benchmark. global workforce shortages in the wind in every industry, and it is unrealistic progress toward these important climate
We select 2021 as the reference year, industry. During the calculation period to expect it to be eliminated entirely. goals. The anticipated workforce shortage
By 2021, we assume that the industry (2021–2028), the global supply of In addition, the forecasts for wind energy underscores the need for the wind industry
had sufficient workforce after a two year available technicians is projected additions, which is based on current to enhance its strategies for attracting and
period workforce demand surge. to grow at a CAGR of 1.58%. stated policies, do not align with the retaining new talent.
roadmap needed to achieve net-zero
From this year, we project workforce During the study period from 2024 to emissions targets. According to the The quantified 6-8% technician shortage
availability based on a “business-as- 2028, the projected labor gap is expected net-zero emissions roadmap, global (see figure 6) does not create an immediate
usual” growth scenario, where the to represent approximately 6-8% of total wind capacity additions should reach crisis for employers. However, while
number of trained technicians continues total workforce demand (see figure 5). 320 GW by 2030. However, the current this shortage is measurable, the issue
Chapter 4: Global Wind Workforce Outlook, 2024-2028 15

of declining technician skill levels has in 56 countries. Growth in this network,

not been fully quantified. To cope with and the availability of GWO training, is
rapid growth, employers are increasingly highly demand responsive to market
being forced to lower their recruiting signals at a national and local level from
standards, leading to a rise in under- industry and governments alike. Further
skilled technicians. exploration of how demand signal and
market stimulus packages are occurring
Providing accessible training programmes across markets is discussed in Chapter 5,
is essential. Currently, there are over Country commentaries.
570 GWO certified training providers
Figure
Onshore6: and
technician shortage
offshore – availability
workforce demand sharevs. demand
over time
Workforce (FTE)
600,000
550,000
500,000
450,000
400,000
350,000
300,000
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
Technician shortage Available technicians
Chapter 4: Global Wind Workforce Outlook, 2024-2028 16

Chapter 5:
Country commentaries
Despite lofty ambitions to triple renewable installations globally by 2030, • Promote industrial policy and tendering apprenticeship plan and volunteering
alongside specific long-term decarbonisation and net-zero targets, the global race criteria that foster wind installation growth plan; and Australia’s offshore wind
for clean power remains strongly influenced by conventional economic factors. through local jobs as much as possible. tender non-price criteria assessment
would involve national policy objectives
– Learnings could be drawn from
Overview and policy recommendation • Set workforce targets as part of the evaluations for local jobs creation.
these value chain localisation-based
For the wind sector, these targets will national energy policy to support wind initiatives or policies for workforce
or renewable energy installation targets. • Facilitate the tailored retraining/
be simply unattainable if the required opportunities: USA’s Inflation
reskilling pathways to promote
numbers of qualified, trained and • Introduce education courses based Reduction Act, South Africa’s draft
transfer and upskilling of workers
experienced wind workforce are not on science, technology, engineering South African Renewable Energy
from carbon intensive industries
available in time and place. Abundance and mathematics (STEM) for preparing Masterplan (SAREM); India’s
to wind industry jobs.
of trained workforce is an economic students to become the entry level Production Linked Incentives for solar
‘must have’. Hence, it is crucial that wind workforce. For example; the Irish and battery and Europe’s Net-Zero – For example, oil and gas and maritime
all potential markets for wind have an government has ramped up its support Industry Act will facilitate the launch workers can transition to offshore
integral wind or energy policy which for STEM education in clean energy of European net-zero industry skills wind sector. Australia’s mining sector
not only signals long-term wind pipeline workforce creation by introducing the academies – including one dedicated has representation from First Nations
visibility but also assesses wind first “Irish STEM Policy”. to the wind sector to upskill and peoples more strongly (3.4 per cent) in
workforce needs. Such policies must reskill workers. the traditional mining sector than they
also address workforce availability gaps • Investments and funding programs
are in clean energy. Policy incentives
for workforce training, apprenticeships – There are examples of non-price
(education, training, experience and and programs can deliver a similar
and upskilling to equip workers criteria, especially for offshore wind,
safety) through investments and prioritise trend in the clean energy sector.
with the skills needed for wind and that include skilling and jobs creation in
inclusivity through just energy transition
renewable energy jobs, especially addition to community involvement and
measures. To put these at the centre
offshore wind. socioeconomic benefits: Germany’s
of wind and clean energy growth plans,
offshore wind auction for centrally pre-
we recommend policy-makers take the
investigated sites includes non-price
following actions into account to fulfil the
criteria that consider the contribution
mid to long-term wind workforce needs:
to the skilled workforce; The UK’s
Celtic Round 5 tender includes a
range of plans for skills development,
17
• Promote diversity, equity and inclusion • Make strategic policy improvement – The International Renewable Energy Global wind power growth in
to resolve skill shortages by enhancing to address workforce imports, Agency (IRENA) is also promoting 2024-2028 will continue to be
attraction and retention of workers to exports and dislocation Jobs4Re with key partners including driven by ‘Grid parity’ scheme in China,
the industry. Danish and Philippine Governments, tax credits in the US, auction/tenders
– G2G agreements, public-private
GWEC and GWO, to build acceptance elsewhere and corporate/private
– ‘ILO Guidelines For a Just Transition: collaboration and policy provisions
of international certification schemes power purchase agreements (PPAs).
A Framework for Action’ elaborated can supply the skilled manpower to
like GWO, increasing certainty for
action-based framework centered other markets experiencing workforce
stakeholders and driving workforce This section provides country
on four building blocks for achieving shortages- this can provide civil safety,
growth across all renewable sectors. commentaries for ten markets which are
a just transition: Promoting inclusive, as well as highly paid employment
projected to add the majority of global
sustainable and job rich economies; opportunities for those who wish to
The wind industry experienced its wind workforce in next five years: China,
Ensuring social equity; Managing the migrate or are dislocated.
most successful year on record in USA, Brazil, Germany, India, Australia,
process; Financing just transition
2023, bringing the total global wind Republic of Korea, Philippines, South
• Set standards and penalty provisions for
– The Just Energy Transition Partnership power installation to pass the first 1 TW Africa and Saudi Arabia. Although
operational health and safety for onshore
announced during COP26 is a classic milestone. The inclusion of a goal to triple China, India and the Philippines have
wind and offshore wind workforce.
example of a policy and financing renewables capacity by 2030 in the not explicitly committed to tripling their
instrument, here used to foster coal • Embrace the advantages of global final COP28 text is unprecedented and renewable energy output in line with the
dependent counties’ just energy standards and workforce initiatives, historic for wind and other renewable 2030 global target. However, they have
transition strategy. South Africa, blending them to meet local conditions. energy technologies. The wind industry is equivalent national targets in place.
Indonesia and other countries are becoming more optimistic about its short-
– National wind power industry
leading on this partnership. term and long-term growth and more
associations in the USA (ACP), Japan
confident about its role in delivering the
– The Federal Government of Australia (JPWP) and, most recently, Brazil
tripling target. GWEC Market Intelligence
and the CEC have committed to (ABEEólica) are partnering with GWO
expects new installations to surpass the
Equal by 30, which aspires to deliver to establish industry-aligned guidelines
previous record and reach 130 GW in
equal pay, equal leadership and equal for entry-level safety and technical
2024. 791 GW of new capacity is likely
opportunities for women in the clean training in their regions.
to be added in the next five years under
energy sector by 2030.
current policies. This equals 158 GW of
new installations each year until 2028.
Chapter 5: Country commentaries 18

Australia
Australia aims for 43% reduction in emissions by 2030, an 82% renewable energy
contribution in the national energy mix by 2030 and net zero by 2050. While there
are no federal wind targets, various states (such as New South Wales, Queensland,
South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria) aim to install wind projects in identified
renewable energy zones under their gigawatts-based variable renewable energy
installation targets set for 2050.
According to the Clean Energy Council be driven by three factors. First, the
(CEC), 2023 was a slow year for wind revamped CIS will hold biannual auctions
power in Australia. In 2023, there was only from April 2024-2027. Secondly, more
942 MW of new onshore wind capacity states have rolled out renewable tenders
installation and total wind capacity reached and installation zones to replace retiring
1.5 GW. There were no new financial coal plants. Thirdly, strong corporate PPA
commitments announced for utility-scale market driven by sustainability goals plus
wind projects in 2023 (compared with six mining and heavy industries committing
in 2022). However, through the revamped to use captive renewables and green
Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) hydrogen, and lastly, several transmission
announced in November 2023, Australia is projects, such as Project EnergyConnect,
set to double its large-scale wind and solar VNI West and Marinus Link, are either
installations currently at 22.7 GW, which approved or under construction.
means 23 GW RE and 9 GW dispatchable
Albany Wind Farm, Western Australia
capacity by 2030 with its latest efforts to Australia is politically committed to
step up spending on clean energy projects. adopting best practice for offshore
renewable energy through forward-
Based on announced project looking regulations, competitive license
commissioning dates, GWEC upgraded process and more flexible frameworks
its annual onshore wind installations available. The federal government
outlook and expects 9.5 GW capacity announced the establishment of several
of onshore wind to be added from 2024 offshore wind zones around the country
to 2028. The growth momentum would (Gippsland, Hunter Valley, Illawarra,
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Australia 19

Portland, Northern Tasmania, Perth Unlocking the full offshore wind potential Figure 7: Australia
Australia wind capacity
wind capacity addition addition and workforce
and workforce demanddemand
and Bunbury), while Victoria has set up would require Australia to ensure
a one-stop-shop agency, Offshore Wind timely projects commissioning through Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW)
Energy Victoria (OWEV) for offshore grid connection, port infrastructure, 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000
wind development assistance. market design, access to vessels, 6,000 2,000
5,897
workforce development (including 5,715
5,867 5,548
While no offshore wind capacity is skills development training), investing in 5,000 5,360 1,750
4,330 4,992 1,500
currently operational, the results of the supply chain capacity development and
Gippsland feasibility licencing process tackling the rise of misinformation in the 1,412
4,000 1,500
were released on 1 May 2024. This marked consultation process.
an important moment in Australia’s
3,000 1,250
offshore wind journey and a successful In addition to offshore wind, renewable
culmination of six years of collaboration hydrogen production is at the centre of
between industry, federal government the country’s global decarbonisation 2,000 1,000
and its agencies. The first set of feasibility strategies. Its National Hydrogen Strategy
942
licences for six offshore wind projects has a vision to be at the forefront of green 1,000 750
off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria was hydrogen production through renewables
granted with an intention to grant a further and export, while the Queensland State
0 500
six licences. This would mean 25 GW of Government has launched the Hydrogen 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
offshore wind playing into Victoria’s energy Industry Workforce Development Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added
mix, if all 12 projects are built. Roadmap 2022-2032.

There are skills shortage challenges in This forecast, which focuses solely on
Australia. If unaddressed, the industry’s the annual direct technician demand
growing project pipeline will exacerbate for C&I and O&M projects, estimates
these pressures. According to the a need for 5,000 to 6,000 full-time
Australian Energy Market Operator equivalents (FTE) per year. This steady
(AEMO)’s 2024 draft Integrated System demand comes entirely from onshore
Plan (ISP), there is additional requirement wind projects, as offshore plans are not
of 24,000 direct clean energy jobs by yet expected to materialise into finalised
2030, an 81% increase on its previous construction schedules.
projections.
Workforce training needs
Recognition of this challenge is also The number of active GWO certified
occurring at the state scale. Queensland’s training centres in Australia grew
Energy and Jobs Plan will legislate significantly from two in 2018 to 17 in
renewable energy targets and define a 2023, successfully addressing the
pathway to deliver 22 GW of new wind training needs of a rapidly growing wind
and solar projects by 2035. According workforce. By the end of 2023, 2,660
to the Queensland authorities, this will people were certified in at least one valid
support 64,000 direct and indirect BST module, up from 600 at the end of
jobs in construction and operations 2018. GWEC expects Australia’s first
and maintenance, and 36,000 jobs in offshore wind farms to reach commercial
the supply chain. The scale and pace operations in 2031, with no impact on the
of workforce change required for 2030 workforce during the outlook period.
is urgent for Australia’s clean energy
growth and requires coordinated reforms.
Without this, onshore wind-specific
workforce requirement in next five years
will be relatively lower.

Brazil
In 2023, Brazil reached a record of 4.8 GW new onshore wind installed capacity,
driven strongly by long-term power purchase agreements settled under markets-
based conditions. Wind has been recognised across Brazil’s government ministries
as a vector for a new Brazilian energy economy. There are more than 1,000 wind
farms in operation surpassing 30 GW of total onshore wind installations. Currently,
the renewables share of Brazil’s electricity matrix stands at 84%.
This stable renewables growth is lower than expected electricity demand

expected to continue due to the growth. The “New Industry Brazil”, a
sustained investors’ confidence and new industrial policy aimed at boosting
efforts of newly elected climate-friendly national development until 2033, includes
Brazilian federal administration. It provisions for investments of R$300
signed the “tripling renewable energy billion until 2026 to finance the neo-
by 2030” pledge at COP28 and decided industrialisation process, which will drive
to phase out unabated coal power. the wind and renewable energy demand
In 2024 Brazil plays host to the G20 as part of the decarbonisation efforts of
presidency and Clean Energy Ministerial large corporate and industrial segments.
meeting, followed in 2025 by COP30
in Belém. COP30 is expected to focus In terms of areas of improvement, Brazil
on nature conservation/restoration and needs an upgraded grid infrastructure
implementation of mitigation targets. for reliability and flexibility to avoid
Rosa Dos Ventos, Aracati, Ceará, Brazil
major blackout issues witnessed in
Wind projects in Brazil are expected to August 2024. GWEC and ABEEólica
be developed mainly on the free market are focusing on strengthening the
scheme (Corporate PPAs) based on Brazilian wind production chain, which
three considerations. First, the dropping has shown signs of weakening in the
of regulated auctions after 2024 (no last three years. Manufacturers have
onshore wind auction capacity awarded downgraded production, largely due to
since 2023); secondly, limited grid a stop-go cycle of development in the
transmission infrastructure; and lastly, country and challenging macroeconomic
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Brazil 22

Figure 8: Brazil
Brazil wind wind capacity
capacity addition addition and workforce
and workforce demand demand
joined the Global Offshore Wind Alliance installation rate of 3.3 GW (figure 8
(GOWA), an initiative between GWEC, Brazil). This pace of onshore project
Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW) IRENA and the Danish Government to commissioning seen in 2022-23, which
4,817 raise countries’ offshore wind ambition. drove C&I and O&M workforce in Brazil,
16,000 5,000
is expected to decline in 2024, and then
15,568
As of the first half of 2024, The Offshore stay flat in 2025 in response to weaker
4,000 Wind Power Bill (PL 11.247 of 2018), which onshore wind construction activity.
12,000 13,049 4,000 aims to build a regulatory framework for The figures are forecasted to start
12,383
4,065 11,452 11,337 11,379 12,370 offshore wind, has yet to be passed for growing in 2026 towards a trained
final approval in the Brazilian Senate. workforce of 12,300, as onshore
8,000 3,300 3,000 The development of clear policies, installations pick up again and companies
3,000 3,000 3,000 regulatory framework, marine spatial prepare for the first offshore project
planning, investment in infrastructure scheduled for commissioning in early
and cooperation between the public and 2030s. GWO-trained workforce has
4,000 2,000
private sectors, and local communities grown from 600 in 2018 to 10,200 in 2023
will be crucial for capitalising on Brazil’s with 27 training centres active at end of
offshore wind potential. 2023, up from two in 2018.
0 1,000
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Workforce training needs
Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added In the next two or three years, GWEC
Source: GWEC, GWO 2024 expects wind installation growth in Brazil
to slow down as a result of a low power
conditions. However, over the last year, years. According to the ‘Roadmap clearing price (the reference price in
macroeconomic variables such as Eólica Offshore Brasil’, Brazil has a huge the free/bilateral energy market) as well
inflation, job creation and GDP projection offshore wind potential of roughly 700 as, relatively slow growth in electricity
Brazil
have wind
begun capacity addition and workforce
to improve. GW based demand
on around 8,000 kilometres consumption due to the expansion of
Workforce (FTE) of coastline atWind
less Capacity
than 50 metres depth.
Addition (MW) distributed generation. GWEC Market
Offshore wind and green hydrogen are Similarly, a World Bank study identified Intelligence expects a total of roughly
expected to be additional
16,000 4,817 drivers for more than 1,200 GW of offshore wind 5,000 16 GW onshore wind installation from
wind energy 15,568
development in the coming potential. In addition, in late 2023 Brazil 2024-2028 at a relatively lower annual
12,000 12,383 4,500

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Brazil 12,370 23
11,452 11,337 11,379
4,000
China (mainland)
China retained its global leadership position, with 440 GW (43%) total wind grid-
connected capacity in 2023. Followed by its ambitious ‘30-60’ pledge2 and a target
to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around
25%, China made its commitment to further expanding the role of renewables in its
energy mix to more than 80% of total new electricity consumption by the end of the
14th Five-Year Period (2021– 2025).
Since 2021, China shifted from a subsidy- central and Southeast regions, distributed
driven, feed-in tariff model to a ‘grid parity’ wind projects are to be promoted, especially
mechanism, whereby electricity generated across villages in the vast rural areas.
from wind and renewable projects will
receive the same remuneration as that It is estimated that from now to 2030,
from coal-fired power. After two years of China’s total repowering wind power
relatively low growth, wind installations capacity will reach 100 GW. In June
bounced back in 2023 and grid-connected 2023, the NEA issued the “Management
wind capacity surpassed the 75 GW target Measures for the Renovation, Upgrade,
(includes 6.3 GW offshore wind). and Decommissioning of Wind Farms,”
applicable to grid-connected wind farms
China’s first batch of large-scale onshore for over 15 years, or have individual
wind and solar power bases in its northern turbines with power rating below 1.5 MW.
provinces, with a total installed capacity Provinces including Gansu, Ningxia,
Changling Wind Farm, Jiujiang Lushan Haihui, Jiangxi, China
of 45.16 GW is now online. The second Fujian, Hebei and Zhejiang are accepting
and third batches have an approved total applications for project repowering or
capacity exceeding 50 GW. In addition, decommissioning. China’s carbon market
(a) two integrated hydro/wind/solar giant expansion will be another driver for wind
bases are to be constructed in Southwest and renewable energy expansion.
China, (b) transition from nearshore to
deep-sea locations and from individual During the 14th Five-Year period
projects to large-scale bases is trending (2021-2025), five large-scale offshore
in the eastern coast areas and (c) in the wind power bases (each with capacity
2
Peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – China (mainland) 24
around 10 GW) are to be developed Workforce training needs Figure

China9:wind
China wind capacity
capacity additionaddition and workforce
in the Shandong Peninsula, the With the world’s largest sustained
Yangtze River Delta region, South Fujian, Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW)
growth drivers and most competitive
East Guangdong, and Beibu Bay. wind energy supply chain, clean energy 75,000 75,000
250,000 69,327 80,000
Through the decentralisation of offshore has become a clear growth engine 70,000 70,000 70,000
223,154
wind approval, so far, ten provinces for the Chinese economy. As a result, 193,369
have met the total 200 GW offshore GWEC Market Intelligence has upgraded 200,000 208,670 211,071 201,381
64,000
198,616 182,370
wind development target. its wind installations forecast for this
market and now predicts that 360 GW 48,000
150,000
China has a leading position in wind of new onshore wind and 72 GW of new
turbine technology and has the world’s offshore wind capacity can be added to
largest and most competitive wind the grid in the next five years (figure 9 100,000 32,000
32,579
supply chain. Amid fierce domestic price China (mainland)). The total technician
competition and global wind supply workforce demand in C&I and O&M 12,000 15,000 15,000 15,000 15,000
50,000 16,000
chain issues, it accounts for 60-70% is projected to range from 182,000 to 5,052 6,333 25,993 24,428 23,462 22,921
of the global market share in wind 211,000. This workforce projection is 27,237
turbine nacelles and key components declining due to the increasing average 21,806 26,013
0 0
production, and roughly 10 wind turbine turbine rating. GWEC expects that the 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
manufacturers are active in China. average turbine rating for onshore wind Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added
At China Wind Power 2023, the Chinese in China will grow from 6 MW to 10 MW by
Offshore total workforce Offshore MW added
wind industry announced the “Declaration 2028, while offshore turbines will increase
on the Security of the Global Wind Power from 10 MW to 18 MW, positioning China
Industry Supply Chain”. This underscores as a global leader. As a result, fewer
their commitment to building a safe, turbines will need to be constructed,
stable and sustainable industry supply leading to a reduced demand for labour in
chain, while recognising the need to turbine installation and related activities.
diversify the global supply chain to The number of GWO-certified training
improve resilience and support countries centres established in China increased
in benefitting from the energy transition. from six in 2018 to 23 in 2023.
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – China (mainland) 25

Germany
As defined in the revised Renewable Energy Act (EEG 2023) to reduce German
reliance on Russian fossil-fuel imports, Germany aims for increased renewables’
share to 80% of its electricity generation mix by 2030. This includes an estimate of
about 115 GW of onshore wind capacity requirement to meet the installation target.
Germany is the third largest country globally pipeline of permitted projects annually
for total onshore wind installation capacity, to meet country’s expansion targets.
with 63 GW, as of 2023. Driven by the
strong political will, as well as the improved The Federal Network Agency of Germany
situation on permitting, the country installed is progressing well on its 2024 auction
3.5 GW of onshore wind and 257 MW plan. This includes: first, four onshore wind
offshore wind capacity in 2023, the best auctions round each with 2.5 GW capacity
year for new installations since 2018. to be awarded through a feed-in-premium
mechanism. Secondly, two offshore wind
In 2023, Germany’s onshore wind auction auctions of 8 GW total capacity through
awarded 6.4 GW, nearly double the negative bidding and non-price criteria,
volume awarded in the previous year, including contribution to decarbonisation,
at the increased tariff rate range of 73.1 PPAs, noise levels and contribution to
to 73.4 EUR/MWh through four under workforce development.
subscribed onshore wind bids. This
GWEC Market Intelligence expects
under subscription was due to several
Nordergrund, Near Bremerhaven, Germany Germany will continue to lead the regional
challenges in project implementation;
market growth with more than 28 GW new
disrupted supply chains and the issue
onshore wind and 6.3 GW new offshore
of transport permits; onshore wind
wind installation in the next five years.
permitting volumes were recorded at
This will be mainly by auctions and
7.5 GW in 2023 and 4.7 GW in the first half
PPA market drivers including:
of 2024. This means that despite the under
subscription of these scheduled onshore • A new “Onshore Wind Law”
wind auctions, significant annual growth (WindLandG) passed in July 2022 as
trend needs to persist and grow to 10 GW part of ‘Easter Package’, which allows
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Germany 26

the auction of 10 GW onshore wind capacity areas for new offshore wind Figure 10: Germany
Germany wind addition
wind capacity capacityand
addition and workforce
workforce demand demand
capacity each year from 2025 and farms in the North and Baltic Seas,
mandates German states to utilise and specified the tendering timeline, Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW)
2% of their land area for wind energy commissioning and grid connection. 28,446 28,850 29,264
30,000 9,000
generation by 2032. The law also to 27,496
• Progress on green hydrogen would further 26,666
improves permitting and facilitates the 25,178
accelerate wind power demand in Germany
permitting of repowering projects for 25,000 22,716 6,700 7,500
as green hydrogen is a very active space. 6,300
exisiting turbines.
One example is the “Wind H2” project 5,700
20,000 5,300 6,000
• Higher onshore bid price ceilings and at Salzgitter steelworks where seven
the implementation of EU emergency turbines situated power electrolysers 4,500
measures that improve and streamline are producing green hydrogen. 15,000 3,567 4,500
permitting.
2,403 1,880
Workforce training needs 10,000 3,000
• PPA market has seen strong growth in 6,436
1,800 1,227
the last few years apart from auctions, Germany’s onshore wind capacity is 3,964 4,854
3,917 3,631
providing other means for developers projected to continue its upward trend, 5,000 2,725 728 3,002 658 1,500
342 256
to secure fixed prices for electricity leading to a growing demand for onshore
production. workforce, despite an increase in average 0 0
turbine ratings, which will result in fewer 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
• A clear offshore wind auctions
wind turbines. By 2028, over 29,000 Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added
schedule to offer 24 GW in both
technicians are expected to be required Offshore total workforce Offshore MW added
centrally and non-centrally pre-
to meet the planned construction needs. Source: GWEC, GWO 2024
examined areas over the next five
In the offshore segment, growth is also
years to 2028.
anticipated from 2024 to 2028, with an
• The preliminary targets set to increase average of over 1,200 MW expected to be
offshore wind power capacity are 40 added annually. This growth is projected growth in next five years. With an election or rule changes, hence delays in
GW by 2035 and 70 GW by 2045. to increase offshore workforce demand, called in Germany for 2025, it will be installations. By the end of 2023,
Germany is also a part of North Sea ranging from 3,600 to 6,400 technicians. important that political change seeks 15,350 people had already received
Germany wind capacity addition and training
to foster greater support for the energy
workforce demand
to BST through the 31 GWO
Energy Cooperation. In BSH’s new Strong policy drivers showcase a greater
area development plan, the agency number of wind workforce requirement transition and
Workforce avoid any negative impact
(FTE) training providers
WindinCapacity
Germany,Addition (MW)
has confirmed roughly 36.5 GW for both onshore and offshore wind it may cause through new restrictions compared
28,446 with only
28,850 7,500 in 2018.
29,264
30,000 9,000
27,496
26,666
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Germany 25,178 6,700 27
6,300
25,000 22,716 7,500
5,700
India
India’s wind energy growth plays a crucial role in shaping the pace of the energy
transition across Asia. It ranks as the fourth largest global wind market, with 47 GW
of onshore wind capacity installed by July 2024, and stands as the second largest
wind turbine production hub in the Asia-Pacific region for component exports, as
part of a supply chain diversification strategy. By August 2024, India had a total of
200 GW of operational non-fossil fuel-based power generation capacity (including
large hydro) out of a total installed capacity of 451 GW.
Wind power is essential for India’s efforts new onshore wind capacity to be added
to provide 24/7 firm power, and meet over the next five years, accounting for
round-the-clock and peak demands, half of the predicted additions in the
while ensuring grid stability. Key strategic APAC region in 2024-2028 at 411,732GW.
initiatives such as 24/7 energy access,
poverty eradication, rapid urbanisation, According to the central government’s
and the “Self-reliant India” agenda National Electricity Plan for the period
through “Make-in-India”, alongside ending 2032, India’s installed wind capacity
decarbonisation or net-zero goals in the is projected to reach around 73 GW by
commercial and industrial sectors, are 2026-2027 and 122 GW by 2031-2032.
driving growing energy demands. Until the 2030s, wind installations in
India’s highly competitive onshore wind
With a range of policy and institutional market will primarily be driven by:
Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India
interventions from central and state • A target of 10 GW of annual onshore
governments, over 2.8 GW of onshore wind bids from 2023 to 2027, through
wind capacity was commissioned in India: single-stage/e-reverse auction bidding
the highest annual installation level since from state, central, and public sector
2017. Wind power remains one of the most undertakings (PSUs), including tenders
competitive renewable energy sources for firm and dispatchable renewable
for the Indian grid. GWEC expects power supply, as part of an upgraded
continued growth under a business as version of the round-the-clock tender
usual scenario and predicts 22.8 GW of for renewable and storage projects.
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – India 28

• Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) In the offshore wind sector, the Ministry Figure 11: India
India wind wind capacity
capacity addition addition and workforce
charge waivers until June 2025 and of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
transmission planning to integrate 48 aims to harness an estimated 70 GW of Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW)
5,000
GW of onshore wind capacity by 2030. offshore wind energy off the coasts of 4,800
40,000 4,500 4,500 5,000
Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The ministry has 35,689
• Wind-specific Renewable Purchase 35,513
announced an auction trajectory for 37 GW 33,018 34,675
Obligations (RPOs) from 2023 to 33,624
of offshore wind capacity between 2023 34,019
2030 and improvements in the timely 28,630
and 2030, under the strategy paper for the 30,000 3,750
4,000
disbursal of payments by DISCOMs.
‘Establishment of Offshore Wind Energy
• A mandated minimum share of Projects’ and the Offshore Wind Lease Rules
renewable energy consumption 2023. From this trajectory, the Request for 20,000 2,500
2,806
for electricity distribution licensees Selection (RfS) for the allocation of sea-
(DISCOMs) and the ability for consumers bed lease rights for 4 GW of offshore
to purchase green electricity. 1,847
wind projects in Tamil Nadu and the
10,000 1,250
VGF-linked RfS for the development
• The revised ‘National Repowering 500
of a 500 MW ISTS-connected offshore 0 0 26 11 590 843
& Life Extension Policy for Wind
wind power project in Gujarat (Tranche-I), 29,264 29,264 29,264 29,264 20 0 1,223
Power Projects – 2023’ to facilitate the
are currently underway. 0 0
repowering of wind turbines. 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
Although positive policy and regulatory The successful allocation of offshore Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added
momentum is in place, some challenges wind tenders by the government in Offshore total workforce Offshore MW added
continue to hinder progress on onshore the current financial year will mark the Source: GWEC, GWO 2024
wind, which could result in a significant opening of a new offshore wind market
shortfall in meeting the 2030 onshore in the region. Several key milestones
wind target. These include state-level are supporting the sector’s progress, upgrades in these states, approval of establishing a domestic offshore wind
operational issues such as delays including Viability Gap Funding (VGF) 10 GW of grid infrastructure for offshore supply chain, addressing ground-level
in right-of-way permissions, grid approved for a 1 GW offshore wind wind projects in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat market barriers and implementing cost
connectivity, land procurement and project off the coast of Tamil Nadu by 2030, and ISTS charge waivers. reduction strategies for the emerging
payment delays in certain states. and Gujarat, grants for two port The next steps for India will involve offshore wind market.

Workforce training need

This remarkable progress in the wind The forecast projects a technician
sector highlights the growing need for demand of approximately 35,000 people
a qualified workforce, particularly for during the 2024-2028 period (figure 11
offshore wind, towards the end of this India) to reach a total of 36,736 by 2028.
decade in India. The National Institute This is driven by consistent construction
of Wind Energy, a training facilitator plans. In contrast, India’s offshore
and agency of the national government, segment remains limited in development
has implemented the Vayumitra Skill compared to its onshore counterpart. By
Development Programme in nine onshore 2026, the offshore sector is expected to
wind states in India. A surge in onshore require around 500 technicians, with this
wind workforce training, especially in the number projected to grow to over 1,200
commercial and industrial sectors and in by 2028. The number of GWO trained
operation and maintenance (O&M), would people in India has grown steadily from
only be expected if the volume of annual 2,000 in 2018 to 17,300 in 2023 as GWO
installations increases to between 6 GW training providers in India increased from
and 10 GW in an ambitious scenario over one in 2018 to 24 by 2023.
the next five years.

Philippines
The Philippine Energy Plan aims for a 35% share of renewables in the power mix
by 2030 and 50% by 2040. Wind will play an important role in decarbonising the
economy while reducing dependence on energy commodity imports. As of 2023
the total onshore wind installed capacity stands at 593 MW.
Presently, the Green Energy Auctions smoother permitting processes for

Program serves as the primary offtake offshore wind projects. The Philippines
mechanism for onshore wind, offering a Department of Energy (DOE) has already
transparent pipeline and tariff structure. approved 63 GW of offshore wind sites
In 2022, the inaugural auctions awarded and are processing more applications.
374 MW of onshore wind capacity at a It further expects 6 GW of offshore wind
ceiling rate of PHP 6.0584/kWh ($0.11/kWh). capacity to be commissioned by 2030
and plans to conduct the first offshore
The second round, concluded in wind Green Energy Auction Program
July 2023, targeted 3.5 GW of onshore round in Q2 2025.
wind, but only 1.46 GW of bids were
successful at a lower ceiling tariff of PHP Having a separate auction for offshore
5.8481/kWh ($0.10/kWh). According to wind will hopefully set clear capacity
a GWEC survey at the time, developers targets and price expectations for
were reluctant to participate due to the medium- to long-term horizons.
tight timelines, low tariffs, stringent However, project de-risking measures are
Bangui Wind Farm, Bangui, Ilcos Norte, Philippines
performance bonds and grid constraints. necessary, such as policy stability, long-
term auction pipeline visibility, grid and
In the offshore wind space, Philippines’ port infrastructure, lowering performance
growth is propelled by progressive bond requirements, mandating technical
policies streamlining permits, studies, indexed tariff against inflation
encouraging foreign participation and and comprehensive cost mapping.
the introduction of a marine spatial tool.
With plans for an enhanced Energy Virtual
One-Stop Shop, developers anticipate
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Philippines 31

Despite the challenges ahead, there is Workforce training need Figure 12: Philippines
Philippines windaddition
wind capacity capacityand
optimism about wind energy development During the next five years, the Philippines’
in the Philippines. With continued Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW)
wind workforce requirement will chiefly
government support, favourable technical come from onshore wind installation. 2,383
2,500 1,500
resources, technological advancements In 2025, the demand for onshore
and strengthening market conditions, 2,126
technicians is expected to peak at 1,230
the sector is poised for growth. GWEC approximately 2,400 people (figure 12 2,000 1,200
1,809
Market Intelligence predicts 3.4 GW of Philippines), after which it will decline,
new onshore wind and roughly 500 MW due to a reduction in construction 1,364
offshore wind installation in Philippines activities. Conversely, demand for 1,500 900
between 2024 to 2028 (figure 12). the offshore workforce is projected 1,077
to increase significantly in 2028 in 750 750
1,000 600
anticipation of future projects planned for
2029 and 2030. Currently, there are three 621
450 553
GWO training facilities in the Philippines. 416
500 300
150
00 200
0 0 0 0 0
0 0
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added

Offshore total workforce
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Philippines 32

Saudi Arabia
The approach of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is focused on the strategic
initiative ‘National Renewable Energy Program’ (NREP) under Vision 2030 and the
King Salman Renewable Energy Initiative. During the 2023 COP28 United Nations
Climate Change Conference in neighbouring United Arab Emirates the KSA
government announced a target of 20 GW renewable energy capacity additions
annually up to 2030, as part of achieving 130 GW or 50% renewable generation by
2030. This sets out a roadmap to diversify local energy sources
and provide sustainable economic stability.
Today, Saudi Arabia’s energy mix 1. final procurement of three wind IPP
consists of <1% renewable energy, projects (700MW Yanbu wind IPP,
around two-thirds oil and around one- 600MW Al-Ghat wind IPP, 500MW
third gas. With wind speeds ranging from Waad al-Shamal wind IPP) under
6-8 m/s, Saudi Arabia’s onshore wind NREP’s fourth bid round with
potential is estimated at around 200 expected operations by 2026.
GW across seven different regions. The
2. the 1.67GW wind turbine contract
country operates a 400 MW Dumat al
awarded to Chinese Envision Energy
Jandal, its first utility-scale wind energy
for the NEOM Green Hydrogen
project located in the Al Jouf region,
Project, expected to be fully
which recently reached its commercial
operational by 2026.
operation date. It is owned by EDF (51%)
Dumat Al Jandal Wind Farm, Saudi Arabia
and Masdar (49%) and consists of 99 4.2 According to the Ministry of Energy,
MW Vestas turbines. This flagship project there are 1,200 sites identified in various
also boasts one of the lowest wind energy regions for pre-development preparation
tariffs in the region, reportedly $19.9/MWh. in the country to further initiate solar and
wind projects. The next five years will
Large onshore wind project investments be critical for evaluating Saudi Arabia’s
announced since last year include: success in diversifying its energy
production and investing in renewable
energy industries such as wind and solar.
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Saudi Arabia 33

Figure 13: Saudi

Saudi Arabia Arabia
wind windaddition
capacity capacityand
GWEC Market Intelligence predicts Renewable targets need to be coupled
around 4.7 GW of new onshore wind with sound national policies that facilitate
Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW) capacity addition from 2024 to 2028 the extensive roll-out of renewables and
1,150 (figure 13 Saudi Arabia); showcasing provide a conducive environment for
3000 1200
1,050 relatively buoyant onshore wind further investments. If Saudi Arabia’s
1,000 1,000 workforce requirements. model is successful, it will set a precedent
2500 1000 in the Middle East for other oil-dependent
2,345 In addition, the offshore wind potential countries to follow.
2000 800 of Saudi Arabia’s coasts is technically
2,045 2,033
estimated to be up to 28 GW for Workforce training needs
1,849 1,788
conventional fixed-bottom installations GWEC forecasts an addition of 950
1500 600
and 78 GW for floating offshore wind MW of onshore wind capacity between
550 installations. The launch of green 2024 and 2028. On average, around
1000 400 hydrogen schemes and the potential to
969 2,000 technicians are required to
export green products, including green support onshore wind development
500 45 200 hydrogen derivatives, are encouraging during this period. The peak demand for
0 0 for the development of both onshore technicians is expected in 2025, after
0 0 and offshore wind. However, timelines which the number of required technicians
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 for these plans are unclear, and there is projected to decline, in line with the
Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added is a lack of transparency on the future slowdown in scheduled construction
projects, both onshore and offshore. activities. There are currently no GWO-
certified training providers in the country,
While Saudi Arabia boasts strong wind with wind training happening in regional
resources and optimistic renewable hubs in the EMEA region and India.
energy goals, its grid system will need
to adapt to a higher share of variable
renewable energy. At the same time the
country’s infrastructure for wind farms
is still in its early stages, demanding
specialised expertise and significant
network development.
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Saudi Arabia 34

South Africa
South Africa’s energy mix relies heavily on coal, but ambitions for an improved
renewable energy share in its power generation mix foresee a rise to 41% by 2030,
driven by increasing onshore wind and solar installation capacity.
The allocation of wind procurement The third round, BW 7 is delayed to

in the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 1H 2024 with undisclosed volume.
of 2010 paved the way for utility-scale
wind projects and, more recently, The two hybrid projects Oya 82.5 MW
through auctions under the Renewable and Umoyilanga 77 MW awarded under
Energy Independent Power Producer ‘Risk Mitigation Independent Power
Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Producer Programme’ were delayed and
A total of 3.4 GW onshore wind capacity are at risk of cancellation, due to delays
has been awarded through REIPPPP auction in its initial awarding phase; in reaching
rounds BW1 to BW4 up to year 2015. financial close and followed by project
execution related delays.
The revised, IRP 2019 further plans to
allocate wind energy auction from 2021 However, the PPA market has gained
to 2030 from which, the government popularity in South Africa, driven by the
has awarded two out of three planned cheaper cost of energy compared with
new renewable energy auction rounds, coal. The addition of these megawatts to
totalling 6.8 GW under REIPPPP. Both the country’s electricity system through
Gouda Wind Facility, Gouda, Western Cape, South Africa
auctions have been delayed. The first private sector investment has positioned
auction, BW5, awarded around 1.7 GW South Africa as a prime onshore
onshore wind capacity, which is expected investment destination in the region.
to be commissioned by 2024/2025. No
wind capacity was allocated through the
second auction round, BW6, in December
2022 due to unavailability of grid capacity
in Eastern and Western Cape.
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – South Africa 35

Figure 14: South

South Africa windAfrica windaddition
capacity capacityand
By the end of 2023, South Africa’s Workforce training needs
wind energy market showcased steady South Africa’s onshore wind construction
Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW) growth, with 3.4 GW of total onshore ambitions are increasing annually,
1,200 1,200
wind installed capacity. With projects driving a steady rise in the demand for an
3,000 1,200
awarded through the REIPPP Bid Window onshore wind workforce. By 2028, it is
2,474 4 auction coming online, in addition to estimated that 2,000 to 2,500 technicians
2,500 2,650 1,000 delayed award of auctions and financing
2,561 will be needed each year to support
2,011 2,068 support needed for enough grid the growing capacity and expansion of
2,000 700 800 infrastructure creation, GWEC forecasts onshore wind projects across the country.
800 800 4.7 GW onshore wind installation between This upward trend reflects the country’s
1,493 the 2024-2028 (figure 8 South Africa).
1,500 600 commitment to scaling up renewable
energy infrastructure. By the end of 2023,
South Africa’s energy planning policies five GWO-certified training centres were
1,000 400 continue to evolve, with the Draft IRP in operation in South Africa with 1660
586 2023 released for public consultation in GWO-trained people in 2023, up from
500 200 the first quarter of 2024. While onshore 275 in 2018.
0 0 wind has been included in the envisaged
0 0 energy mix, offshore wind is yet to be
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 incorporated.
Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – South Africa 36

Republic of Korea
Since 2017, the Republic of Korea’s Government has demonstrated a strong
interest in leveraging its renewable energy potential to contribute to its energy
transition, and to reduce its heavy dependence on fossil fuel imports and energy
price volatility. The Carbon Neutrality Act of 2021 targets achieving net zero by
2050. To realise this, over 60% of total power generation must be sourced from
renewables. Under the 10th Basic Plan for Power Distribution published in 2023,
the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced a target of 21.6%
of renewable energy in the total energy mix by 2030, with 5 GW onshore wind
and 14.3 GW of installed offshore wind capacity target.
Currently, it is an emerging wind market floating wind turbines. Its total offshore
with a relatively small footprint of wind wind capacity with electric business
installation, with 1.8 GW onshore wind licences (EBL) grants reached an
and 144 MW offshore wind. The Republic impressive 20.8 GW by 2022. However,
of Korea’s renewables portfolio system these projects faced bottlenecks from a
(RPS) was introduced in 2012 and lengthy bureaucratic/permitting process
remains in operation. Renewable energy (under an open-door approach), grid
suppliers can also obtain renewable constraints, local community acceptance,
energy certificates (RECs) in MWh units lack of policy support and regulatory
for offshore and onshore wind to meet clarity. For example, the ‘one-stop-shop’
Jeju Island Wind Power Plant, Jeju, Republic of Korea the mandated RPS quota, while additional offshore wind bill, which was due to
RECs can be traded on the spot market. introduce a dual-track system, has been
The spot price of RECs has risen by nearly pending for more than two years.
50% from 2022 to 2023, prompting
MOTIE to announce plans to stabilise Hence, the Republic of Korean
the REC market in 2024. government has pushed for a variety
of reforms. First, the introduction of
The Republic of Korea’s estimated 624 government-led site selection and
GW offshore wind potential is impressive auctions to ease the costly and lengthy
and encompasses both fixed bottom and EBL-based project permitting process,
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Republic of Korea 37

which involves 29 licenses from different Workforce training needs Figure 15: Republic
South Korea of Koreaaddition
wind capacity wind capacity addition and
and workforce workforce
demand
ministries. Secondly, focusing on capacity As part of Offshore Wind Power
building and awareness raising initiatives Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW)
Competitive Bidding Roadmap,
to streamline the licensing process. MOTIE launched the first in a series of 2,500 1,350 1,500
Thirdly, assessing and communicating offshore wind tenders in October 2024
socio-economic effects through wider 2,124 2,175
for 1.5 GW capacity and will launch (at 2,081
stakeholders’ engagement to resolving least) two more until the first half of 2026. 2,000 1,200
specific fisher conflicts. The country’s In total, 7-8 GW of capacity is planned
existing manufacturing competitiveness, 1,599
to be auctioned. With these impressive
development of port and infrastructure offshore wind progress, GWEC predicts 1,500 800 900
and a generous renewable energy new installations of 3.1 GW offshore wind 800
credit scheme have also been a positive and 1 GW onshore wind in next five-
incentive for establishing a resilient 1,000 858 846 835 832 600
years (figure 15: Republic of Korea). This 791 784
offshore wind supply chain. 730
means larger wind workforce demand 815
for offshore wind growth in the Republic 500 200 200 200 200 200 300
With these efforts, the country’s first 165
of Korea. The Republic of Korea is the 96 202
offshore wind subsidy auction with a only country that follows an offshore- 98
0 4 100 80
confidential price cap was awarded in dominant pattern in all selected markets 0 0
January 2024 to low-priced Chinese 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
covered in this report.
suppliers, although Vestas emerged Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added
as the biggest winner, securing 600 With only 753 people with a valid BST Offshore total workforce Offshore MW added
MW Wando Geumil Phase I & II and 396 certificate as of the end of 2023, training Source: GWEC, GWO 2024
MW Sinan Ui projects. Vensys (owned providers and educators could train an
by Goldwind) and Mingyang secured additional 2,000 people in the next five period. With 3.1GW coming online from number of C&I and O&M technicians
365 MW and 70 MW projects order years. Wind growth patterns in the 2024 to 2028, offshore wind will drive in the Republic of Korea is expected to
respectively. This sparked a debate Republic of Korea suggest a workforce workforce additions, with a surge in the reach 2,900 people in 2028, driven by
on the relative importance of minimising needed to install and maintain the total number of technicians needed to the buildout of new offshore wind assets.
cost and fostering a local supply chain onshore wind fleet will fluctuate around install and maintain assets growing from
that can compete with global peers. 800 people during the 2023/ 2028 800 in 2024 to 1,350 in 2028. The total
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Republic of Korea 38

USA
As one of the world’s leading wind markets, the USA exceeded 150 GW of total
onshore wind installations by the end of 2023. The landmark Inflation Reduction
Act (IRA) package was responsible for injecting widespread optimism into the
future USA wind outlook.
A promising onshore wind outlook projects are under development in the US;
reinforced by IRA for example, the Gateway project and the
After record installation levels in 2020 Grain Belt Express project. In 2023, total
and 2021, 6.4 GW of new onshore wind wind assembly capacity increased by 15%
capacity was installed in 2023, the lowest on the previous year. As local capabilities
annual installation level since 2014. The have expanded imports of blades and
low levels were due to market saturation hubs fell by 26%, the lowest levels of
in certain areas and delays caused by import volumes in the past 10 years.
siting, permitting, supply chain constraints,
inflation and long wait times in the grid According to ACP, the US has 25.3 GW
interconnection queue. Instances of local onshore wind pipeline by the end of
oppositions to renewable energy projects, Q1 2024, up more than 5 GW from the
as witnessed in media reports, are also same time last year. With developers
rising, suggesting a further source of delay. continuing to refill their pipeline in 2024,
GWEC predicts that the US onshore wind
The US onshore wind market has been market will be back in full swing from
typified as a tax credit-driven market. 2025/2026 and reach 16 GW by 2028.
Presently, the IRA is providing a much
needed investment landscape for
long-term scale visibility for investors
by upgrading the country’s century
Windy Flats Wind Farm, Goldendale, WA, USA
old grid infrastructure into a modern,
resilient grid system, while also
stimulating clean power manufacturing.
At least 22 high-voltage transmission
Chapter 5: Country commentaries – USA 39

A resilient offshore wind growth US State-level

Figure offshore wind
16: US State-level procurement
offshore targets targets*
wind procurement US developers. Hence, GWEC Market
despite financial headwinds Intelligence has downgraded the US
Louisiana Maryland
With no new offshore wind installation 5 GW 8.5 GW
offshore wind outlook to 10 GW for the next
in 2023, the US had 42 MW of total five year from the 15 GW predicted in the
offshore wind capacity in operation by previous year’s outlook. This still makes
the end of 2023. The US Offshore wind it the largest offshore wind market after
New York China and the UK in terms of new additions.
market growth would primarily be driven
9 GW
by technology neutral tax credits and a
country target of 30 GW by 2030 (30x30, California By 2024, a fresh start began with the
to be largely met using bottom fixed 25 GW commencement of a new offshore wind
North
technology). At the state level, eleven leasing rounds planning unveiled by the
84 GW Carolina
states have a combined offshore wind 8 GW US Department of Interior in April 2024.
procurement target of 84 GW, including Rhode This gave a new five-year schedule of
Island offshore wind leasing rounds, aiming for
new offshore wind targets signed into law
1.4 GW
in Maryland, Maine, and California in 2023 up to 12 lease sales starting from 2024
(figure 16: US US State-level offshore Maine New to 2028, which would showcase a unique
3 GW Jersey multi-state collaboration approach to
wind procurement targets (Global 11 GW
Offshore Wind Report 2024, GWEC)). procure offshore wind power. As of
Connecticut
2.3 GW May 2024, four projects with a total
During 2023, the US offshore wind industry 4.3 GW capacity are under construction,
Virginia Massachusetts and another 50 GW projects are in the
experienced strong headwinds. Several
5.2 GW 5.6 GW
projects encountered financial challenges development and planning stages.
Source: GWEC *Announced plan, not yet signed by law
due to inflation, interest rate increases,
and supply chain constraints, including Additionally, the IRA package would
for vessels and foundations. Notably, continue to support offshore wind
nine projects, totalling 7.7 GW, have either planning and permitting reform
had their offtake agreements terminated legislation, manufacturing, and clean job
or seen the whole project development creation through five routes. First, tax
ceased, which triggered multi-billion incentives for wind projects up to 2032;
dollar write down by large European and secondly, $100 million for offshore wind

transmission planning. Thirdly, domestic The positive five-year outlook signals Figure 17: USA
USA wind wind capacity
capacity addition
addition and and workforce
manufacturing tax credit for offshore greater onshore and offshore wind
wind components and an extension workforce requirements across the value Workforce (FTE) Wind Capacity Addition (MW)
of the investment tax credit for vessel chain. To ensure the availability of skilled 76,426 76,556
80,000 74,599 75,192 20,000
construction. Fourthly, offshore wind wind workforce, USA state, federal and
68,587
development in southern part of the private players are running a series of 70,000 16,00017,500
US Atlantic coast, and lastly, inclusion programmes and funding including: 58,857 59,685
of inflation adjusters in the bidding/ 60,000 15,000
15,000
project contracts. • ‘Offshore Wind Workforce Education 14,000
50,000 12,500
and Training Database’ to increase
12,000
To fully capitalise on promising onshore offshore wind training opportunities, 40,000 10,000
8,612
and offshore wind outlook leveraging and the ‘Wind Energy Technologies
IRA benefits, the USA will need to Office’ to address the wind industry’s 30,000 7,500
8,000
heavily invest in wind manufacturing, workforce needs through various 6,402
20,000 5,000
port upgrades, grid infrastructure targeted investments. 3,440 2,550 2,750
1,585 2,430
and workforce trainings across the 2,726
• The DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies 10,000 963 1,785 938 3,601 5,176 5,796 2,500
value chain including C&I and O&M. 0 0
Office launched a $11.9 million
According to US Department of Energy 0 0
investment in the offshore wind 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
(DOE), the U.S. wind industry currently
workforce in the form of the Academic Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added
employs more than 125,000 full-time
Center for Reliability and Resilience
workers (construction (>45,000) and Offshore total workforce Offshore MW added
of Offshore Wind (ARROW).
manufacturing (>23,000). In order to Source: GWEC, GWO 2024
reach the 30x30 goal DOE estimates • The Maryland Energy Administration
an additional requirement of 44,000 announced the Maryland Offshore
• The State of New York aims to create • In partnership with Rowan College
workers in the offshore wind industry and Wind Workforce Training and Education
more than 10,000 wind energy jobs of South Jersey, Ørsted’s Wind Power
an additional 33,000 in communities that Program for fiscal year, 2025 by providing
through its 9 GW offshore wind Ready: Atlantic City programme is
would directly benefit from the industry. grant funding up to $3,000,000 on a
commitment, with opportunities training New Jersey residents to
competitive basis for industry education
spanning 117 offshore wind become wind turbine technicians.
and workforce training.
occupations across the supply chain.

According to NREL, to reach the 30x30 Workforce training needs

goal, average annual employment levels GWEC predicts a growing annual
(full-time equivalent/year) are estimated addition in both the onshore and offshore
at 15,000 and 58,000, based on 25% segments. It is projected that 65 GW
and 100% domestic content scenarios, of onshore wind capacity will be added
respectively. Due to headwinds, several between 2024 and 2028. In line with
new wind-related factories announced this growth and cumulative installations,
in the USA have been delayed, stalled, or an average of approximately 75,000
cancelled, cutting in the existing job total. technicians will be needed each year
This includes Siemens Gamesa’s blade for onshore wind, while around 4,000
factory plan for Virginia, GE Vernova technicians will be required annually for
and LM Wind Power plans, Marmen and offshore wind. This positions the USA
Welcon tower facility delays. as the second largest country in terms
of wind technician demand.
The time to deliver actions is now, hence,
the offshore wind challenges have to be The workforce trained in GWO standards
converted into a firm strong orderbook in the USA increased from 1,800 in
pipeline. This would create a strong wind 2018 to 15,198 at the end of 2023 while
workforce demand for C&I and O&M to the network of local training providers
realise the growth needed. grew from six training centres to 67
during the same period. The total C&I
and O&M technicians is estimated
at 80,900 people by 2028.

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inspection of an offshore wind jacket at wind typically relies on. Data from Beam’s
To emphasise the urgency of addressing If the industry is to understand and tackle Scotland’s Seagreen wind farm, a joint AI-powered operations shows this
this workforce gap, regional targets, this gap between current capabilities and venture between SSE Renewables, approach can reduce inspection timelines
such as the European Union’s ambitious targets, we must look at solutions that can TotalEnergies, and PTTEP. by up to 50%, reduce operational
goal of achieving 111 GW of offshore wind help address the workforce challenge too. costs, and enhance data quality and
capacity by 2030 (compared to 34 GW In the offshore wind market industry can The success of this deployment is a crucial accessibility. The success at Seagreen,
installed in 2023) illustrates how formidable utilise advanced technologies to improve milestone in the application of AI to offshore the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore
the challenge for the industry is. According efficiencies and facilitate a fundamental wind maintenance. The technology offers wind farm, has demonstrated the
to GWEC, aligning with WindEurope’s revision of how work is conducted. Beam, several groundbreaking capabilities, technology’s potential for large
projections, the EU requires an average a leading deep technology company, notably fully autonomous underwater offshore wind superstructures.
of 8.5 GW of new installations annually believes AI and automation can help inspections without human intervention.
until 2028. However, this pace falls achieve this by using AI and autonomy
significantly short of the average on robotic ships and underwater robots This new approach to operations and
installation rate needed for the EU to service offshore wind farms and maintenance work at offshore wind farms
to meet its 2030 offshore wind target. improve existing capabilities. allows real-time data to be streamed
directly to shore, provides advanced
3D asset reconstruction, as well as
comprehensive visual data collection.
It also allows for the automated
monitoring of marine growth and
erosion at foundations.
43
Workforce revolution Building a sustainable future

This technological advancement is An increasingly automated and
creating new opportunities to attract top digitalised workforce is much more
talent, including from tech industries and than an engineering achievement. It’s
the oil and gas sector, where many of the a blueprint for achieving the EU’s dual
transferrable skills that offshore wind objectives of climate action and economic
needs are held. By offering appealing, growth, as these advancements show
technology-driven roles with competitive how we can help meet a climate goal,
compensation, the offshore wind industry such as offshore wind capacity targets,
can draw the best and brightest minds to while alleviating workforce supply issues.
accelerate the energy transition.
This is vital, as the workforce challenge
The transformation of traditional roles, remains significant. With a workforce
underpinned by technology, brings many powered by this strategic deployment of
benefits. By taking on the repetitive, manual cutting-edge technologies, the industry
parts of a job, workers may shift their focus can better meet demands while creating
onto more complex tasks. We believe that more efficient, safer and more sustainable
a technician paired with AI can complete operations.
exponentially more work than they can
alone. At the same time, unsupervised The future of offshore wind energy
autonomy is allowing sea based vehicle is reliant on the convergence of AI
operators to work onshore, now as innovation, workforce transformation
autonomous fleet managers with and clear environmental targets.
associated mitigations of worker Deployments such as Beam’s at
safety risks. Seagreen, demonstrate how, through
technological innovation and strategic
deployment, we can collectively drive
forward a sustainable energy future.
Special feature: Bridging the gap: AI innovation in offshore wind 44

Chapter 6:
Methodology: the Wind Workforce Model
Number of technicians needed is projected based on wind capacity and technician- Large-scale onshore projects with a In this year’s forecast, GWO has revised
to-turbine ratios. The workforce demand for Construction and Installation (C&I) is high number of turbines typically enable its assumption regarding technician-to-
projected based on wind capacity additions over the next two years, while demand developers to utilise fewer people on a per turbine ratio for Onshore O&M
for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) is based on cumulative wind capacity for the turbine basis, while the people/ turbine Using data on project O&M validated by
current year. The model assumes technicians should be available 1-2 years prior to ratio tends to be higher for the buildout GWO members and weighted by plant
construction. For both onshore and offshore C&I, the forecast includes 70% of the of smaller wind farms. Increasing turbine size, we estimated that the O&M of an
turbines projected for the upcoming year and 30% for the current year under study. rating adds complexity to installations, and onshore wind farm typically requires
thus will raise the technician-to-turbine 0.45 people per turbine, as reported in
Using GWEC’s input on total installed GWO’s forecast uses estimated ratio. In the forecast period, the global the previous Workforce outlook 2023-
capacity and the rating of operational technician-to-turbine ratios to estimate average turbine rating increased from 2027. This assumption has been changed
wind turbines, we estimated the number technician demand for onshore and 5MW to 6,75MW. Taking all these factors for this forecast. Our latest research
of turbines operating in each country. offshore C&I respectively into account, based on expert reviews and indicates that the average number of
We then used annual turbine additions Technician-to-turbine ratio indicates publicly available data, we estimate the technicians required for Operation and
to project the volume of the cumulative how many technicians are needed for technician-to-turbine ratio for onshore Maintenance (O&M) for one onshore
installed turbines out to 2028. each turbine during its construction and wind farms to be 12 technicians per turbine turbine is now 0.15. This means that after
installation phase. This ratio can vary and 18 technicians per turbine for offshore erecting a wind farm with 100 turbines,
depending on the complexity of the wind fleets. By multiplying the number of approximately 15 permanent roles will
turbine, site conditions and other factors turbines installed for a given year by the be created for maintenance. From 2024
like specialised equipment. technician-to-turbine ratio, the model onwards, this figure will be used to project
calculates the number of technicians workforce needs. When multiplied by
required to construct and install wind the total number of turbines in operation
assets during the outlook period. each year, it results in the forecast of
the total number of technicians needed
for onshore O&M, in addition to existing
workforce data.
45
Figure 18: Wind Workforce Model forecast flow chart
Offshore O&M technician-to-turbine ratio

Source Information Estimates Forecast is estimated on a country level, which
considers the regional historical trend
Wind installations Research on planned projects supports
Historical data
country-level assumptions regarding the
and forecasts
ratings and number of turbines expected
to be operational each year throughout
Turbine rating Number of turbines the outlook period. The technician-to-
forecasts by year, region and segment
turbine ratio is calculated by dividing the
total expected number of technicians
Technician to turbine ratio required at each site by the total number
Onshore/ Workforce forecast of turbines. This calculation is influenced
Offshore C&I/O&M Technicians demand by
year, region and segment by the capacity of the vessels expected
to be utilised, based on the O&M strategy
selected by the operator and the specific
characteristics of the project. On
average, the offshore O&M technician-to-
turbine ratio is projected to increase from
0.69 to 0.87 during the forecast period,
which is approximately 5 times higher
Participants activity
Training records than the onshore O&M assumption.
and sector reach This variance is attributed to the greater
complexity involved in operating offshore
wind fleets, which necessitates a higher
Workforce forecast number of technicians for effective
Technicians available
New entrants
by region and segment maintenance and support. The ratio is
required
multiplied by the cumulative number of
offshore turbines to calculate the number
of technicians required for each country.
Chapter 6: the Wind Workforce Model 46

These country-level estimates are In a new industry like wind energy,

then aggregated to determine the total the supply of professionals often lags
workforce demand for offshore Operation behind demand. Between 2019 and
and Maintenance (O&M) across all 2020, the industry experienced a
assessed territories significant surge in workforce demand.
Our assumption is that following this
Historical wind capacity installations surge, the industry effectively responded
and GWO intelligence inform the and maintained a sufficient number
business-as-usual case regarding of technicians in each region to meet
workforce shortages in the forecast period the demands of 2021.
We use GWO training activities as proxies
to estimate the growth of available The resulting shortfall in technicians
technicians in a given region. A key is reported as a global aggregate
assumption in estimating technician figure, reflecting a universal estimate
shortages is that, by 2021, workforce of workforce availability. However, this
demand had been sufficiently met, assumption implies that workforce can
indicating that there were no technician move freely across borders without
shortages at that time. The starting year friction, which is more optimistic than
for our analysis is 2021. the actual situation. As a result, this
assessment may slightly underestimate
the true extent of the overall technician
shortage in the wind energy sector.
Chapter 6: the Wind Workforce Model 47

Definitions
Terms Definition
ABEEólica Associação Brasileira de Energia Eólica – Brazilian Wind Energy Association
BST Basic Safety Training Standard (GWO Standard)
CoHE Control of Hazardous Energies (GWO Standard)
C&I Construction and Installation
COP 28 etc Conference of the Parties (numbered in series)
DOE Department of Energy (USA)
DISCOMS Electricity distribution companies
Firm power Mean power output during a certain critical period
FTE Full time equivalent (a full time employee)
GW Gigawatts
GWEC Global Wind Energy Council
GWO Global Wind Organisation
HSE Health, safety and environment
IEA International Energy Agency
IRA Inflation Reduction Act (USA)
NEA National Energy Administration (China)
NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA)
MW Megawatts
OEM Original equipment manufacturer
O&M Operations & maintenance
PPA Power purchase agreement
REC Renewable energy certificate
WINDA GWO’s online database of wind training records
48
Global Wind Energy Council Global Wind Organisation

Unicorn Factory Langebrogade 3H
Av. Infante D. Henrique, 143 S09 Copenhagen 1411
1950-406 Lisboa,
Portugal info@globalwindsafety.org
www.globalwindsafety.org
info@gwec.net
www.gwec.net
49

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Global Wind

Chapter 1 Executive Summary 5

Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2024-2028 2

Ben Backwell, CEO, Jakob Lau Holst,

Brian Allen, CEO, Lead sponsor

Chapter 1: Executive summary 6

Chapter 1: Executive summary 7

Chapter 1: Executive summary 8

Control of hazardous energies – all three modules ● ● ● ● Yes

Crane and hoist – basic user module ● ● ● ● No

Crane and hoist – inspection and maintenance module ● ● No

Enhanced first aid (comprises single module only) ● ● ● ● Yes

Service lift – all three modules ● ● ● ● No

Slinger signaller (comprises single module only) ● ● ● ● No

Chapter 2: Growing demand for training and safety training standards 11

Chapter 3: Wind workforce dynamics 13

Chapter 4: Global Wind Workforce Outlook, 2024-2028 15

of declining technician skill levels has in 56 countries. Growth in this network,

Chapter 4: Global Wind Workforce Outlook, 2024-2028 16

Chapter 5: Country commentaries 18

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Australia 19

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Australia 20

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Australia 21

This stable renewables growth is lower than expected electricity demand

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Brazil 22

12,000 12,383 4,500

around 10 GW) are to be developed Workforce training needs Figure

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – China (mainland) 25

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Germany 26

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – India 28

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – India 29

Workforce training need

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – India 30

Presently, the Green Energy Auctions smoother permitting processes for

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Philippines 31

Onshore total workforce Onshore MW added

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Philippines 32

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Saudi Arabia 33

Figure 13: Saudi

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Saudi Arabia 34

The allocation of wind procurement The third round, BW 7 is delayed to

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – South Africa 35

Figure 14: South

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – South Africa 36

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Republic of Korea 37

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – Republic of Korea 38

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – USA 39

A resilient offshore wind growth US State-level

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – USA 40

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – USA 41

According to NREL, to reach the 30x30 Workforce training needs

Chapter 5: Country commentaries – USA 42

Workforce revolution Building a sustainable future

Special feature: Bridging the gap: AI innovation in offshore wind 44

Figure 18: Wind Workforce Model forecast flow chart

Offshore O&M technician-to-turbine ratio

Chapter 6: the Wind Workforce Model 46

These country-level estimates are In a new industry like wind energy,

Chapter 6: the Wind Workforce Model 47