O&M opinions and insights for the offshore wind industry

Subsea services

Subsea services are an important part of offshore oil and wind operation support, for example in inspections, surveys and salvage.

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Why cable failures are so costly

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Why cable failures are so costly

Cables are the achilles heel of the offshore wind industry; a majority of insurance claims are related to cable failures. Easy to break, hard to fix, as repairs always require an expensive repair vessel and spread.

In the event that an offshore wind farm loses one of its (typically) two export cables, the largest loss will be due to lost revenue, although the lost generation is probably less than 50% of potential output due to periods of low wind speeds, and also due to the fact that export cables can be specified to carry more than half of the wind farm capacity. Continue reading →

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Underwater Inspection – what’s going on beneath the surface?

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The vast majority of offshore wind turbines stand on monopile foundations below the sea’s surface, and these foundations demand significant maintenance. But those of us who work with this area often feel the maintenance task isn’t really given enough attention – right from early planning phases through to the operational phase.

Sub-sea inspection teams and their advanced equipment focus on examining the effects of sub-sea forces such as tidal currents and alerting wind farm owners and operators to necessary measures to preserve their investments. Typically, an ROV or a team of divers is used to take a look at what’s happening underwater. Continue reading →