Spain-based Gamesa and the government of Bahia, Brazil, have signed a memorandum of understanding for the joint promotion of wind power industry innovation and skills training in the region.
Notably among the projects encompassed by the agreement, Gamesa and the government will work together to implement Gamesa University, which will specialize in training professionals to carry out wind turbine operations and maintenance services. Gamesa says this center, which could be up and running as early as 2016, would cater to over 200 people a year.
In addition, this collaboration agreement envisages the possibility of setting up a wind turbine testing unit associated with a public university from Bahia, as well as implementation of laboratories for certifying Gamesa equipment. The alliance will also encompass agreements with universities and vocational training centers in Bahia to help foster know-how and innovation.
‘This alliance highlights Gamesa's strategic commitment to Brazil and very particularly the state of Bahia, one of the country's windiest regions, by demonstrating once again our commitment to this community's economic and social development, specifically by committing resources to vocational training, technological development and innovation, the crucial drivers of stable and skilled job creation for the region,’ remarks Ignacio Martin, chairman of Gamesa.
Gamesa began to operate in Brazil in 2011 when it started up a production facility in Camacari, in the state of Bahia, which it recently expanded. The company says it has installed over 1 GW in Brazil and has a pipeline of firm orders for the installation of a further 1.5 GW in the years to come. Gamesa also services close to 700 MW for various customers under O&M agreements in the country, which accounted for 22% of the company's total revenue from turbine sales last year.
After a signing ceremony, elected officials and delegates from various institutions represented visited Gamesa's factory in Asteasu, Guipuzcoa, which specializes in the manufacture of gearboxes.
