SB 92 NMSU WINDMILL CERTIFICATION

Sen Crystal Diamond Brantley

Actions: [1] SCC/SEC/SFC-SCC [2]germane-SEC [3] DP-SFC

Scheduled: Not Scheduled

 Senate Bill 227251 (SB) appropriates one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University for a windmill technician certification workshop. 

  Senate Bill 227251 (SB) appropriates one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) from the General Fund (GF) to New Mexico State University (NMSU) for expenditure in Fiscal Years (FY) 2025 and 2026 for a windmill technician certification workshop. 

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a FY 2026 reverts to the GF. 

 The wind turbine industry is poised to take off, with growth estimates of 45 percent from 2022 to 2031and with approximately 1800 jobs added annually during that time. Wind turbine service technicians (windtechs) maintain and repair wind turbines and generally work outdoors, in confined spaces, and often at great heights. 
These windtechs typically attend technical schools or community colleges, where they may complete a postsecondary certificate in wind energy technology or choose to earn an associate’s degree.  Many technical schools have onsite wind turbines that students service as part of their studies. In addition to hands-on learning, windtech coursework includes maintenance instruction for electrical and hydraulic systems, braking and mechanical systems, and programmable logic control systems. Students also receive instruction in tower climbing, along with training for rescues, safety, first aid, and CPR.
The median annual wage for windtechs was $57,320 in May 2022 with ten percent earning less than $45,150 and ten percent earning more than $80,170.

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/wind-turbine-technicians.htm