European energy company Innogy has awarded the high voltage engineering specialist EDS HV Group a contract on behalf of project owners Greencoat Wind UK for operations and maintenance management at North Hoyle offshore wind farm in Liverpool Bay off the UK's north west coast.
Following a competitive tendering process with other major players in the sector, EDS, part of the UK’s leading marine services company – James Fisher and Sons plc, has been selected for its vast experience in O&M, managing HV infrastructure associated with over 1.5GW of renewable energy generation and a proven track record in providing a fast and efficient response in the event of a fault situation.
John Carey, North Hoyle Operations Manager said: “We were very impressed with EDS’s technical proposal which demonstrated an excellent understanding of our HV requirements as well as showcasing their planned and reactive maintenance skills. The breadth of their services specific to the offshore market and their ability to respond quickly made EDS a very good choice.”
Running from Q1, 2019, the three-year contract will see North Hoyle’s onshore substation and export cables come under the remit of the EDS HV Control Centre, from which the HV network will be managed on a 24/7 basis.
As well as carrying out planned maintenance, EDS will provide fault location services and emergency repairs if necessary.
Ryan Murphy, Asset Manager at EDS said: “A proactive maintenance regime based on condition monitoring of HV assets plays a key role in optimising efficiency and reducing operational costs. Our goal is to help clients to maximise availability in a safe manner, and at lowest cost, by carrying out planned maintenance as efficiently as possible and minimising any unscheduled maintenance. This contract award builds upon an already excellent relationship that EDS has with innogy and we look forward to continuing to provide the service levels that they have come to expect”
The Round 1 60MW North Hoyle project is an early pioneer of the UK offshore wind movement, and the UK’s first commercial wind farm constructed in 2004.