Independent power provider Avangrid, Inc. recently broke ground on an expansion project to provide year-round safety and technical training for the next generation of skilled energy workers.

Upgrades at Avangrid’s National Training Center (NTC) in Sherman County, Oregon, will reportedly support technician training. According to a company release, the expansion project will also increase the NTC facility’s footprint by about 2,500 square feet and enclose its 30-foot-tall fall protection tower.

Other innovative features will focus on integrating hands-on maintenance practice and troubleshooting on real-world equipment. This includes additional individual components from wind farms, solar plants and high-voltage installation systems.

This enclosure will allow emergency procedure training on the equipment regardless of weather conditions, which Avangrid notes will help trainees accelerate learning proper safety protocols before transitioning to working on a turbine. The specific expansion timeframe for completion has not been disclosed at this time.

The NTC will also be better equipped with virtual and mixed-reality tools that will allow technicians to practice responding to simulated operating challenges. Overall, Avangrid states these upgrades help the company better train future skilled workers to meet growing energy demand and operate a nationwide fleet of energy projects.

“Nothing is more important than ensuring our employees have what they need to work safely,” said Avangrid CEO Jose Antonio Miranda in a statement. “Upgrading our National Training Center represents Avangrid’s investment in the health and safety of our people.”

Owned by the Spanish-based global  Iberdrola Group, Avangrid is focusing on advancing these objectives worldwide to grow its generation fleet while simultaneously building a skilled workforce to operate its facilities.

Built in 2024, the NTC facility welcomed its first cohort of technicians in the fall of that same year. Avangrid noted that roughly 350 new and existing technicians have attended its training courses at the facility since its opening in Oregon.

In the state alone, Avangrid operates over 2.5 GW of capacity across 17 energy generation facilities and maintains a large corporate office in Portland. This extensive regional footprint is a key reason Avangrid chose this centralized location to train and upskill technicians near many of its operating energy projects in the Pacific Northwest region.