Leading renewable energy consultancy and service provider Natural Power has been appointed by Fred. Olsen Renewables (FOR) to deliver the service and maintenance contract at Windy Standard Wind Farm in Dumfries and Galloway, adding another onshore windfarm to its O&M portfolio.
The 62 MW, 30-turbine wind farm, comprises 21 Senvion MM82 and nine MM92 2.05 MW turbines. The site has been operational since 2017 and Fred. Olsen Renewables was initially supported by Senvion. Natural Power has supported FOR since the start of the project in 2017 with site management and control centre services, and with this new contract, now adds O&M delivery.
Stephen Brignall, director of service operations and asset management at Natural Power, said: “This new contract is a real step forward for our team, and we’re not only adding the Senvion platform to our portfolio, but expanding the servicing team and upskilling our existing technicians.
“The contract award demonstrates our strong capabilities as a multi-platform service operations department, and complements the services we deliver across both asset management and ControlCentre teams.”
The Windy Standard service hub is headed-up by Natural Power’s site operations manager, Alasdair MacPhee, who has been involved with the project since it was commissioned. Having previously worked for Senvion, Alasdair worked on Windy Standard during its construction and through to its operation and maintenance to date.
He added: “We’re ideally situated geographically to support Windy Standard, with technicians on the ground and the back-up of our locally available resources.
“We’re already working on a programme of continuous improvement to enhance turbine performance: focusing on minimising breakdowns, shorten maintenance periods and therefore keeping the turbines on for longer, whilst looking after the overall health of the turbines to ensure maximum performance.”
Anders Falkfjell, head of operation and maintenance at Fred. Olsen Renewables commented: “Natural Power supports Fred. Olsen Renewables across its portfolio, at every stage of the wind farm lifecycle. We believe that its capabilities and expertise will help to maximise the substantial contribution that Windy Standard Wind Farm will make towards Scotland’s net zero targets. This contract will also ensure that jobs and skills are delivered locally, in Dumfries and Galloway.”
Natural Power supports clients to achieve the most from their assets by keeping them safe, reliable and compliant. Office based asset managers work hand in hand with the on-site teams including servicing and repair technicians, who form an integral part of the operations and asset management team. Natural Power currently manages more than 200 onshore wind, offshore, solar, hydro and heat sites around the world. Find out more here.
About Windy Standard
Windy Standard Wind Farm has been operational for over 25 years. The wind farm is located 8 km north east of Carsphairn and 10 km south of New Cumnock and is part of Fred. Olsen Renewables wind farm portfolio.
Fred. Olsen Renewables is one of the leading independent renewable power producers in the UK. Our operational UK wind farm portfolio comprises a total generating capacity of approximately 529.7 MWm, including Windy Standard Wind Farm. We have been involved in the operation of Windy Standard Wind Farm since the 1990s.