Winds of change: wind market powers up

For now, the state of the wind power industry in the United States is up in the air, literally. The Trump administration has not embraced wind power like past administrations, and federal measures to halt onshore and offshore wind development have been ongoing over the past year.

While the pace of new construction has slowed down, the demand for maintenance, repower and component replacement is providing steady work, according to BOSS Crane & Rigging Sales Manager Chris Garcia.

Buckner HeavyLift is involved in wind maintenance, repower and new erection wind work throughout the US

“Hundreds of gigawatts of installed capacity across the U.S. require ongoing care, and that’s where we’re seeing consistent opportunities,” Garcia said.

The majority of BOSS’s wind power work is in the realm of maintenance.

“We’re currently focused on maintenance and repower projects, which are supported by our crane fleet that includes our 900-ton LTM 1750s, 625-ton Demag AC500, 550-ton GMK 7550 down to 100-ton all-terrain, rough terrain and truck cranes,” Garcia said. “These have proven to be especially well-suited for major component replacements and ongoing wind maintenance work.”

The current challenge for crane companies that perform wind power work includes rising costs and intense competition.

Higher costs

“Competition across the market, combined with elevated fuel and freight costs, are key challenges in the market,” Garcia said. “Since wind farms are frequently located in remote areas, moving heavy components to those sites can significantly impact overall project costs.”

Despite the Trump administration’s resistance to wind farm development, Garcia said utilities, independent power producers and corporations with clean energy commitments continue to drive demand, regardless of the policy cycle.

“There’s already a significant amount of existing infrastructure that needs ongoing maintenance. When new development scales again, we’ll be ready to support that next phase of growth,” Garcia said.

Another point to make, Garcia said, is that a lot of the older turbines are reaching the end of their run, and operators are choosing to repower those sites rather than shut them down.

“That means pulling out old equipment and setting new, which is exactly the kind of heavy lift and rigging work we do,” Garcia said. “There’s also growing demand for keeping turbines running longer through smarter maintenance and targeted repairs, and that’s an area where our team brings a lot of expertise.”

Component replacements are always needed on wind farms. BOSS Crane & Rigging utilizes its LTM 1570 AC500 at the Coyote Wind Farm in Texas.

Stable market

Buckner HeavyLift is also active in the wind market across the United States. Buckner’s Jay Breitbach said for his company, the 2026 wind power market remains steady with a focus on the new erection of large turbines.

“Right now, we have equipment rented to customers who are doing wind maintenance, repower and new erection wind work,” he said.

Buckner also has a machine working in the offshore wind market.

“There are only a few active offshore wind projects in the US, and there are no projects in the pipeline because of government regulations,” he said.

Breitbach said challenges within the wind power market include component delivery delays, manufacturer defects, transportation-related damage to parts and weather delays.

“The need for power is greater than ever due in part to the growing number of data centers related to artificial intelligence,” he said. “Green energy solutions are an optimal option because of their environmental benefits and relatively quick build time. We anticipate a steady demand for renewable energy for the near future.”

There are only a few active offshore wind projects in the US and none in the pipeline for now.

All in all, Breitbach said the wind power market has been stable, despite the current federal government’s negative view of wind power.

“The ever-increasing need for more power along with a potentially a more favorable view by future administrations will contribute to a steady or growing wind power market in the future, Breitbach said.