Bigger wind turbines mean bigger O&M risk shows report

As the offshore wind industry deploys larger wind turbines, the industry can expect new operations and maintenance (O&M) challenges to negatively impact profitability, efficiency and safety.

This is one of the key findings of a new white paper released by SaaS solutions provider Shoreline Wind; How Robust O&M Plans Boost the Profitability of Offshore Wind Farms.

The white paper highlights that larger turbines require a more sophisticated approach to O&M, as well as managing balance of plant, including maintenance of larger foundations, offshore substations and cables.

Bigger turbines demand an integrated O&M approach, where every component must be meticulously evaluated and managed to avoid costly disruptions.

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Ageing assets

Another complex aspect of wind O&M is that an ageing fleet of wind farms now requires either repowering or intelligently modified O&M strategies. This adds significant layers of complexity to their ongoing viability and financial success.

Over 8GW of offshore wind farms are now more than a decade old – a figure expected to triple in the next four years, states the white paper.

Asset owners need to ensure O&M plans can cope with the numerous and nuanced technical issues experienced by older machines, more challenging once the OEM service agreement expires.

Michael Bjerrum, chief commercial officer and co-founder at Shoreline Wind, commented in a release:

“The industry is at a crossroads. Larger turbines have increased energy production and reduced costs, but they’ve also introduced new O&M risks.

"A single failure in these larger turbines can lead to significant downtime and financial loss, an issue already seen in onshore, and now emerging offshore. Combined with ageing assets, the need to review and update offshore O&M strategies is more vital than ever.”

Considering these twofold challenges, the paper advocates for early and proactive O&M planning that begins even before a wind farm is fully commissioned. As the scale of offshore projects increase, there is a growing overlap between construction and operations activities, making early O&M planning essential to avoid costly delays and ensure a smooth transition from construction to full operation.

The paper simultaneously highlights the importance of adapting O&M to regional nuances, conditions and supply chains, as new markets open up and the unique challenges presented by older assets become apparent.

In addition, the white paper recommends aligning O&M plans with partners and maximising collaboration between owners, OEMs and contractors, as well as leveraging digital technology to enhance O&M efficiency and decision-making.