Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2025-2030
Wind Projects Duty Holders and Workforce Planning Chapter 4:
Figure 5: Wind Project- Project Lifecycle, Major Tasks and Contracting Practices
Workforce planning in the wind industry typically reflects where an organisation sits in the project value chain – a pattern that is well understood but often underestimated. Upstream developers tend to defer workforce planning to partners, especially in onshore wind, and most companies still manage talent needs within discrete functions rather than enterprise-wide. In contrast, O&M has developed more sophisticated and broadly adopted workforce planning practices, driven by its strategic importance and long-term labour demands. This uneven maturity underscores the central challenge: organisations are expanding faster than their workforce strategies, creating operational, financial, and competitive risks that can no longer be treated as routine.
Common Contracting Practices and Duty Holders The content in brackets indicates the duty holders in common practices
Construction & Installation
Operation & Maintenance
Owner/Operator
Project Management Company (PMC)
Developer/Investors
Warranty typically lasts 5 years, and a wind farm’s operational life is around 20 years, which means 15 years of maintenance beyond the warranty.
Option A
Option B
Maintenance beyond warranty (OEMs, ISPs, Owner/Operator)
Maintenance within warranty (OEMs)
Balance of Plant (OEMs or EPCs)
Turbine installation (OEMs or EPCs)
Commissioning (OEMs or EPCs)
Civil Work (EPCs)
Wind Farm Operation (ISPs, Owner/Operator)
In the Construction & Installation phase, it is common for Developer/Investors to use multi-contract approach. A contract for turbine supply, and its installation, depends on region, and is either handled by OEMs or EPCs. Developer/Investors may also choose to contract with a project management consultancy, which creates a single point of responsibility. Separate contracts will be signed for civil works (foundations, roads) and electrical balance of plant (eBoP). In some cases, EPCs may take on project design responsibilities, extending their value chain by stepping into Project Management Company (PMC) roles and contracting directly with OEMs as turbine suppliers. These are exceptional scenarios, not the standard practice.
After commissioning, the developer hands over the completed project to the Owner/Operator. The operation of a wind farm is typically carried out by the party responsible for running the asset, typically the operator or owner, and is independent of warranty. Wind farm maintenance depends on its warranty status during the warranty period. The OEM usually performance maintenance, while after the warranty expires, maintenance can be handled by any contracted party- OEM in-house teams, Independent Service Providers (ISPs), or the operator’s own maintenance team, depending on winning the bid. SCADA systems often give OEMs significant influence over operations and maintenance, even beyond the warranty period. Warranty typically lasts 5 years, and a 20 years, which means 15 years of wind farm’s operational life is around maintenance beyond the warranty.
Design & planning
Manufacturing
Transportation & logistics
Construction & installation
Operation & maintenance
Dec
16
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