Wind firm turns to coalminers

Goldwind's big localization and training brighten US state Wyoming

NEW YORK - The wind energy industry is one of the fastest-growing in the United States, and a Chinese company hopes to get ahead of the curve by creating a workforce: It will be launching a training program in Wyoming for coal miners to teach them to be wind farmers.

Goldwind Americas, the US arm of the Beijing-based Goldwind, is expecting to start a training program this fall in Carbon County, Wyoming. The county is known for its extensive coal deposits and is in the state that produces the most coal in the US. The program will target coal miners who the company strongly believes can take their transferable skills to the wind energy sector.