EDP Renewables and Vestas launch ‘Keep it Local’ in Rio Grande do Norte

In partnership with Vestas and taught by SENAI, the ‘Keep it Local’ program will be geared towards providing students with courses on wind energy.

EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR), the world’s fourth largest producer of renewable energy, and Vestas, a leading firm in the manufacture, sale, installation and maintenance of onshore and offshore turbines all over the world, are launching ‘Keep it Local’ in Brazil, a program aimed at improving the employability of residents in rural areas. Provided by SENAI in Rio Grande do Norte, the program will focus on qualifying students in wind energy courses. The focus will be the municipality of Caiçara do Rio do Vento.

‘Keep it Local’ has been geared for the residents who live in sparsely populated areas with low levels of employment, leveraging the development of renewable projects in rural areas to improve employability. The program enables those who have achieved the qualifications to opt for a job close to their place of residence while, at the same time, revitalizing the local economy.

Offered free of charge to the population, the training shall consist of a course on wind farm operation and maintenance. Promoted in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, specifically in the town of Caiçara do Rio do Vento, the classes shall be held as of 4 October by the Centro de Tecnologias do Gás e Energias Renováveis (CTGAS-ER) of the SENAI-RN for 25 residents of a region that has numerous wind farm projects under development, construction and operation.

Duarte Bello, COO of EDP Renováveis in Europe and Latin America commented, “We are a company that is committed to sustainability and our goal is to promote the wellbeing and development of the communities in which we are present”.  He added: “We were delighted with the results from the first edition of ‘Keep it local’ (in Spain), since 30% of the participants got jobs in the sector, including at EDP Renováveis. For this reason, this year we have decided to continue supporting the residents of the communities in the vicinity of our wind farms in Rio Grande do Norte, who wish to work in renewable energy, the energy of the future.”

Eduardo Ricotta, president of Vestas for Latin America states that “Our commitment is to include sustainability in everything we do. And this includes our goal to becoming the safest, most inclusive and most socially responsible business in the energy sector. By extending the ‘Keep it Local’ project to Brazil, we are aiming to help local young people to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to work in the wind energy industry and become agents of change for a more sustainable future for our planet”.