Pioneering Safety in Onshore & Offshore Wind: First Graduates of New GWO High Voltage Cable Pulling Standard
Published 12 Aug 2025
The Wind Academy
The Wind Academy, the UK leading facility delivering GWO and Technical Trade Training Courses, has marked a major milestone in onshore and offshore wind technician training with the successful delivery of the first-ever GWO High Voltage Cable Pulling (HVCP) Training Standard.
Hosted at their brand-new Training Facility at the Port of Blyth, this pilot programme has produced some of the very first professionals in the world to gain certification under this innovative new standard — developed by the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) to boost safety, reduce cable damage, and improve operational uptime across the wind sector.
What is the HVCP Module?
The HVCP module forms part of the new GWO High Voltage Training Standard and equips participants with the skills, safety awareness and confidence to carry out high voltage cable installation both onshore and offshore.
Aimed at commissioning and service technicians, this standard supports work in HV operations or cable pulling under a Safe System of Work (SSOW). The HV Standard has been highly requested by many of the leading members of the Global Wind Organisation with input from Cubico Sustainable Investments, ENERCON, ENGIE, GE Vernova, Nordex Group, Northland Power Inc., Ørsted, RWE, Siemens Gamesa, SSE Renewables and Vestas.
Key Learning Areas
The HVCP module covers the following core areas:
- Safe handling & cable pulling — techniques for working safely in wind-turbine environments
- Damage identification & inspection — how to spot and document cable faults during and after installation
- Mechanical stresses & tool use — understanding loads and selecting/using the right tools
- Basic electrical field theory — essential HV concepts to work safely around cables
- Team coordination & communication — roles, signalling and handovers on complex jobs
- Risk mitigation & PPE — ergonomics, PPE and safe work practices
- Final cable loop installation & restoration — finishing checks and site reinstatement
Why This Matters for the Industry
By standardising HV cable pulling procedures and ensuring rigorous training, the new GWO HVCP standard helps:
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Prevent costly cable damage during installation
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Protect worker safety in challenging offshore conditions
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Maintain uptime and reliability of wind farm assets
GWO High Voltage Standard
The GWO High Voltage Standard will enable participants to support work related to high voltage equipment and systems as per the specific module focus area and detailed topics within. The High Voltage Standard is divided into the following two modules:
High Voltage Operations
The training target audience includes workers required to operate and make safe high voltage equipment and systems, under a documented safe system of work, including commissioning technicians and service technicians, both onshore and offshore.
High Voltage Cable Pulling
The training target audience includes workers required to perform or supervise high voltage cable pulling operations, including offshore pre-assembly technicians, as well as installation technicians and service technicians completing replacement of high voltage cables, both onshore and offshore.
HV Jointer Training at the Wind Academy
The Wind Academy also provides brand-specific Cable Termination Courses for leading cable accessory manufacturers including Nexans (Euromold), Pfisterer (Connex), 3M Electrical, and NKT.
Thorne & Derrick
Leading Specialist Electrical Distributor to the Global Renewable Energy Industry
Thorne & Derrick supply High Voltage Cable Accessories, Jointing Tools & Power Distribution Equipment up to 66kV – we hold several Framework Supply Agreements with international energy providers, OEM’s and High Voltage Power Energy Companies.
From the largest stocks in the UK & EU we supply global projects with HV Cable Accessories to energise projects – this includes Nexans Euromold, Pfisterer Connex & 3M Cold Shrink Separable Connectors, Joints & Terminations at 11kV/33kV/66kV.
This is complemented by the most extensive stocks of Cable Preparation, Cutting, Crimping & Spiking Tools for insulation, screen, sheath removal of MV & HV cables including Alroc, Ripley, Hivotec, Cembre, Klauke, Boddingtons and PENTA.
Supplying Cable Termination, Jointing, Pull-in & Electrical Equipment up to 66kV
