UK lacks blade fixers

A lack of qualified blade repair technicians and an absence of training standards is undermining operations and maintenance in the UK offshore wind sector and the standing of UK service providers in the wider market, according to Altitec.

The blade inspection and repair specialist said UK O&M providers “urgently need to increase the scope of training programmes and the rate at which new technicians are trained” to cater for growing demand.

The company added that highly-trained and experienced blade repair technicians offer the only reliable means of ensuring that issues are identified and swiftly resolved. 

But, in the UK, these technicians are not currently being trained at a rate that is proportional to growing demand, Altitec said.

“Consequently, the industry is at risk of a long-term skills shortage that may adversely impact both the quality and availability of blade inspection and repair services and affect opportunities for UK-based firms to become established offshore wind maintenance providers,” the company said.

The skills gap is made worse by a current lack of widely recognised higher-level training standards for blade technicians, with “no internationally-recognised standard currently available for the more advanced training qualifications required to prepare technicians for the demands of servicing blades at height offshore”.

Altitec Group managing director Tom Dyffort said the company’s courses train up to 150 blade inspectors a year.

“However it’s unrealistic to think that we’re anywhere near plugging the skills gap for blade repair and inspection in UK offshore wind – particularly since specialist, on-site training can take up to 25 weeks to complete,” he said.

Image: reNEWS