Natural Power has been selected for independent turbine servicing by Ventient Energy to service the Westfield wind farm in Fife, Scotland.
Image: Natural Power service delivery manager James Hamilton with Ventient’s official Tony Crombie. Photo: Courtesy of Natural Power
Westfield wind farm consists of four five-year-old Nordex N90 wind turbines at the site. The contract includes a carefully planned predictive maintenance schedule along with reactive repairs and responding to any major component failures.
The wind farm will also be remotely monitored by Natural Power’s ControlCentre, an independently operated control room in the UK.
The contract takes Natural Power’s servicing portfolio, including Paul’s Hill and Rothes wind farms near Elgin, and Crystal Rig I in the Scottish Borders, to 175 turbines.
Ventient Energy CEO Scott Mackenzie said: “During our discussions with Natural Power, we have been impressed with their capabilities and experience and it is great to see a local supplier win this contract. We are looking forward to working with Natural Power at Westfield to help drive the operational performance of the wind farm and add value to the Ventient Energy portfolio.”
Located on a brownfield site at the former Westfield open-cast coal mine which closed in 1998, the Westfield Wind Farm was constructed during 2012-2013 and is administered from a control building located within the site boundary.
The wind farm’s four turbines are rated at 2.5MW and the site has an installed capacity of 10MW, producing enough energy to power 4,690 homes.
Natural Power operations head Stuart Egan said: “In our recent analysis of a portfolio of sites with a mix of Siemens and Nordex turbines, the team was able to demonstrate a 70% decrease in the average energy loss by turbine, a 58% decrease in the downtime per event and a 68% decrease in energy loss per event.
“Our unique approach to servicing, where high-performing turbines are identified and their maintenance prioritised, the provision of local service hubs offering quick response times and a procurement team dedicated to sourcing the best quality parts at the best price, has demonstrated a significant difference to even the highest performing sites.”