Electricians begin training for work on wind turbines

04/10/2009

Electricians begin training for work on wind turbines
4/10/2009 8:30:01 AM
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By Elliot Mann
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
As wind power continues to sweep through southern Minnesota and the country, a group of local electricians are training how to safely maintain the prodigious pinwheels.
A few miles south of Rochester, the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union has created a wind power training center that simulates rescue and climbing scenarios in a 52-foot tower. Officials said it's the union's only center in the country and training began two weeks ago.
IBEW officials say Austin electricians are getting training at the site as the region continues to watch the growth of wind farms to harness the wind.
"It's probably going to be the biggest thing that happens in the electrical industry, in our area, anyway," said Tom Leonard, a Rochester resident and union member.
Through 2012, some 35,000 wind turbines are planned for construction across the Midwest. Mower County is already home to 186 wind turbines, while 41 are in operation in Dodge County. More are expected to come online in the region.
Working on the wind farms, the local electricians quickly found that at 275 feet in the air, errors aren't easy to fix.
When local electricians in 2007 obtained control of the Prairie Star Wind Farm, problems quickly developed. People weren't accustomed to the height. Others didn't even know how to properly wear their harnesses.
"It became evident real soon that we weren't trained for this," said Derek Mensink, a member of the electrical workers union.
And the electricians said the time to become prepared isn't at the top of a turbine.
"You make a mistake, you're down the tower," Johnson said.
The training facility has a 52-foot tower that allows the electricians to practice climbing, as well as how to perform rescue scenarios if a worker becomes injured.
Since the towers are usually in rural areas, emergency response crews are several miles -- and minutes -- away, Mensink said.
The training center has piqued interest from electricians in the Dakotas, Iowa, Missouri, even politicos from Washington. First District Rep Tim Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, toured the facility Thursday.
With an estimated 25 percent of electricians standing in the unemployment line, according to union representatives, the electrician union decided to create the $90,000 training facility.
The five-day class takes roughly 40 hours to complete and the local IBEW is trying to obtain certification for the safety training program.
That will provide those workers with an edge in competing for heavily-sought after wind power jobs, Mensink said.
"This is brand new -- the first people certified come from here," he said, adding that wind power will be the focus among electricians across the Midwest. "For the next five to 10 years, this is really the next big thing for us."