Enel Green Power North America announced plans Wednesday to expand its presence in Oklahoma City with a training center for “wind workers.” The company also said it has launched construction of its planned “Seven Cowboy” wind project in Kiowa and Washita counties.

“With another Oklahoma wind farm on the way, we’re increasing our focus on developing a strong clean-energy workforce,” said Paolo Romanacci, who heads Enel Green Power in the United States and Canada. “Our process is straightforward: invest in STEM education to inspire students to join our industry, execute on our ambitious growth strategy to create new skilled jobs, and train new hires in-house to equip them for our open positions in Oklahoma and beyond.”

Enel, headquartered in Rome, Italy, and its subsidiaries produce and distribute electricity and gas relied upon by some 70 million people across 30 countries. Enel Green Power North America, with presence in 14 states and one Canadian province, operates 64 plants with a managed capacity of over 7.6 gigawatts powered by wind, geothermal and solar energy. It has stated plans to add 6.5 GW of new renewable energy capacity in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2024.

In Oklahoma City, Enel said its new training center will include classrooms and state-of-the art simulation facilities for working inside wind turbines. Courses will be provided on topics such as safety, professional development, working at heights, ladder rescues, and turbine troubleshooting and repair. Trainees will learn in multiple settings, including by way of classroom discussion and hands-on simulation and virtual reality training.

“New wind workers supporting Enel’s entire U.S. wind fleet will simulate the experience of climbing and maintaining a wind turbine with trainings held year-round inside an office space that also can support up to 25 office-based employees,” the company said.

Enel Green Power started operating its first Oklahoma wind farm, Rocky Ridge, in 2012. Since then, it has built or launched construction on 13 wind farms representing more than 2 GW of operating capacity, establishing it as Oklahoma’s second-largest wind operator. According to the release, Enel has invested more than $3 billion and created more than 130 long-term jobs in the state.

The planned Seven Cowboy site’s 107 turbines are expected to generate 1.3 terawatt-hours of energy each year, equivalent to electricity needs of more than 120,000 U.S. households. When operations are launched it will result in avoidance of more than 758,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, Enel said.

The project is expected to generate more than $55 million in new local tax revenues for schools and public services, along with $41 million in payments to landowners through its lifetime.

Construction will involve more than 300 construction jobs, and the site will employ around 15 people permanently. Operations are expected to begin by the end of 2022.

This story originally ran on the JournalRecord.com.