He’s the director who has always wanted to make a difference for customers. In a couple of minutes Knud Just Andersen from Vestas Offshore will speak on one of the world’s most important wind energy stages. At Renewable UK he will share his knowledge about how to install and energize an offshore power plant faster than any other company in the world.
Knud is smiling. He has good reason, considering the impressive targets he and the rest of the Bligh Bank team have achieved. This is an opportunity to explain how Vestas Offshore has achieved all its ambitions for the project installation – and then some. He scans the attentive crowd and begins to speak.
“The team behind the Bligh Bank project had high ambitions. It is with humbleness that I can gladly say that we have achieved our targets and reached well above them. We have performed more than 100 percent,” he says.
Knud is referring to the speed of installation at Bligh Bank, and to Vestas Offshore’s ability to innovate in partnership with the R&D department. He believes this approach has created a leaner installation and commissioning process, because all the turbines are fully tested onshore by connecting them to the grid before they are transported offshore and installed.
“We aimed to get 10 turbines fully installed per day, but we actually got 12 turbines. We can do this because we had done all the preparations – testing and replacing any defective components with new improved ones – before the turbines were taken out to sea and installed. This means that on the Bligh Bank project the circle of installation and commissioning has evolved a step forward,” Knud says.
High profits
As the European offshore energy industry comes out of its infancy, the urgent need to lower the cost of energy calls for solid improvements. Customers, investors and turbine developers are all seeking to find new ways to cut energy costs.
“We have developed one concrete initiative which cuts cost and increases profits – and I will share it with you,” Knud says.
“Until now, projects have focused on installing all the turbines in a power plant and then starting the energization process. We have shown that it is possible to begin the energization with the first installed turbine. With our project execution, the customer can start to create energy quite early in the process, because we are able to energize the turbine just four hours after it has been installed at sea. This is how we have successfully energized 55 turbines in 7,5 full working days.” Knud watches the audience as his words sink in.
Next comes a short analysis of the new approach, showing that customers can improve their business case significantly by energizing the turbines as soon they are installed.
After his presentation, Knud is asked if this is only about profits. “Fast energization paves the way for low cost of energy. But, and this is a very important ‘but’: This approach also increases the level of quality, which is an important factor in any construction process.”
“Imagine how many issues companies have when a turbine has been standing unused at sea for six months. You wait to energize the whole park and then sometimes you find that turbines have to be repaired before you can even begin the energization.”
“The team behind the Bligh Bank project has now proved to customers that this can be avoided by intelligent project management and improved onshore energization,” Knud concludes.
