Three companies, including James Fisher Marine Services and GEV Wind Power, have signed contracts to provide up-tower blade maintenance and repairs for onshore and offshore wind turbines in Vattenfall’s portfolio.
The UK independent service providers, along with Danish Blade Service, will provide the services for 900 turbines installed at 50 wind farms in the UK, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.
The agreements are for a minimum of two years.
Vattenfall UK country manager Danielle Lane said: “We look forward to collaborating with GEV Wind Power, James Fisher Marine Services and Danish Blade Service, whose expertise matches Vattenfall’s standard of excellence across all our operations.
“The launch of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal in the UK last year has boosted investor confidence, because it defines a number of targets, which are to be achieved by the UK Government and the offshore wind sector.
“These targets cover offshore wind deployment, creation and security of tens of thousands of jobs, employing a more diverse and skilled workforce, and significant opportunities for UK businesses.
“Our collaboration with GEV Wind Power and James Fisher Marine Services, both based in the East of England, demonstrates our commitment to enable the untapped potential of UK companies in the renewables sector to be realised, and boosting local employment and economic regeneration.”
Danish Blade Service chief executive Brian Bendixen said: “We see the award as a recognition of many years of quality service and we look forward to expand our business further with Vattenfall.
“We very much look forward to engage with local site managers and blade experts in Vattenfall.
“We find ourselves particular well suited for supporting the offshore wind farms that mobilise out of Esbjerg and east coast Zealand, plus all the onshore wind farms in Northern Europe where our crews travel daily to support customers from factory acceptance tests and end of warranty inspections to complicated up tower anti-icing an de-icing repairs.”
GEV Wind Power chief executive David Fletcher said: “We look forward to supporting Vattenfall in maintaining their rotor blades across the various on and offshore sites, leveraging our multi-brand capability and European operational infrastructure.
“As the leading independent service provider solely focused on blade maintenance, we will deliver best in class health & safety standards, with industry leading field reporting technology and provide access to Europe’s largest pool of dedicated blade technicians.”
James Fisher Marine Services managing director Barry Jennings said: “We’re delighted to be part of this framework agreement with one of the world’s leading renewable energy developers, and look forward to working closely with Vattenfall to help achieve its fossil-free targets over the next two years.
“Since James Fisher’s acquisition of Rotos 360, a team of highly skilled and experienced specialists offering industry-leading complex blade repair services, we have been helping to optimise the topside performance of offshore wind projects all around the UK.
“The cornerstone of this has been a trailblazing mindset and the use of the latest innovations available to the industry, incorporating platform deployment, composite technology and marine solutions, to identify and repair damage, excessive wear and other potential issues that can affect the performance of wind turbine blades.”