LCF Law Group at WindEurope Annual Event 2026: Human Resources as an Investment Risk Factor in Wind Projects
At WindEurope Annual Event 2026 in Madrid, industry experts discussed wind energy workforce development as one of the key challenges for scaling the sector in Ukraine. On 21 April 2026, the conference hosted a panel discussion 'Human Resources – The Key to Renewables Expansion in Ukraine,' dedicated to the role of human capital in developing the renewable energy sector.
The session was moderated by Ivan Bondarchuk, Partner at LCF Law Group, Head of Energy & Projects, and First Deputy Chairman of the Board of UWEA. The discussion involved representatives of development companies, international equipment manufacturers, and personnel development experts — members of UWEA.
According to Alina Shyshkina (Energy Trade Group), for small and medium projects up to 100 MW in Ukraine, there is currently sufficient baseline construction workforce. At the same time, the market is already experiencing a notable shortage of specialists in more complex segments — in particular, in engineering, electrical work, commissioning, and wind farm operations management. As a result, the availability of qualified personnel is increasingly being factored in by developers and investors as a separate risk when making investment decisions and reaching FID.
Olena Umanets (Navitas Renewables Ukraine) emphasised that the Ukrainian renewable energy market requires the scaling of local teams to meet the growing volumes of new projects, including a portfolio planned for construction from 2027.
At the same time, the key challenge remains the level of qualification and practical experience of personnel, which directly affects the quality and timelines of project implementation. In this context, the priority for the market should be the development of local training and specialist preparation programmes in Ukraine.
Anzhela Pryadun (Vestas) stressed that contractor certification and the expansion of warranty or service obligations are directly linked to risk management and quality assurance. For integrating local companies into Vestas's service and installation ecosystem, strict technical and safety standards must be met, certified training programmes completed, confirmed project implementation experience demonstrated, effective HSE processes in place, and regular audits and quality controls performed. Subject to these conditions, Vestas is open to certifying local contractors and deepening cooperation with them.
It was noted that local contractors face the same challenges as OEM manufacturers, particularly regarding the attraction and retention of qualified personnel. Accordingly, human capital development should be viewed as a shared task for the entire industry. An effective response requires coordination between manufacturers, developers, contractors, educational institutions, non-governmental organisations, and industry associations, with a focus on training students and retraining specialists transitioning into the renewable energy sector.
Participants in the discussion separately emphasised that Ukraine has significant human resource potential — motivated, educated, and resilient specialists — which can be realised through the consolidated efforts of all stakeholders. In this context, Vestas, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association, is already implementing educational initiatives, including a training workshop for lecturers of the electrical engineering faculty at a university in Ternopil.
Summarising the discussion, Ivan Bondarchuk noted that the development of renewable energy in Ukraine is increasingly dependent not only on financing or the regulatory environment, but also on the availability of quality human capital. In his view, the market is already facing constraints in the availability of qualified personnel, which is beginning to affect project timelines and economics, and therefore must be treated as a full-fledged risk factor. At the same time, an effective response to this challenge is only possible through coordinated cooperation among all market participants — with a focus on systematic development, training, and retraining of personnel in Ukraine.