First-of-its-kind training turbine aims to boost emergency preparedness in green energy sector

A wind turbine which can be set alight to help people working in the region's Teesside's growing wind energy industry has been launched on Teesside.The huge training tower in Hartlepool is the first of its kind in the world and can be set on fire repeatedly to help green energy workers learn how to tackle emergencies which will be as close to real life as possible. The growth of the North East's renewable energy sector means there is increased demand for skills in responding to emergencies.

Charlie Whellans from Cleveland Fire Brigade Risk Management says "We have the ability to provide a live fire training scenario to replicate realistic conditions for course participants giving them the opportunity to experience what it would be like in a real life incident."Workers will also be trained on VR headsets to help understand how to approach different scenarios in an emergency situation.Luke Anderson from MBG Offshore said: "The renewable industry, particularly offshore wind and stuff, has not reached its peak yet. It's probably not going to reach its peak for the next ten years so stuff like this is a necessity. Especially for the offshore engineering world, it's well needed.

"To get taught properly, the facility itself looks like a rig. This is exactly how you'd find it offshore. So it's good for people to do it as if they're doing it in a real situation instead of a small training room."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...