Operation & Maintenance of Power Plants
Why third-party operations and maintenance makes sense
Power plant operators are increasingly turning to third- party companies to manage their operations, maintenance and construction activities – reducing plant down time and maintaining peak generating efficiency as a result. Sean Ottewell reports.
Los operadores de las centrales de energía tercerizan cada vez más la gestión de las operaciones, las actividades de mantenimiento y construcción, y reducen así el tiempo de inactividad y el pico de mantenimiento lo cual produce como resultado una mayor eficiencia, afirma Sean Ottewell.
Kraftwerksbetreiber übertragen Betrieb, Wartung und Bautätigkeiten zunehmend an Drittunternehmen – dadurch wird Anlagenstillstand reduziert und die Spitzeneffizienz aufrechterhalten. Sean Ottewell berichtet.
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ood Group GTS and Apex Bethel Energy Centre have signed a three-year operations and maintenance
(O&M) agreement for the Bethel Energy Centre in East Texas, USA. Under the US$12 million (£9 million)
contract, Wood Group GTS will be responsible for care, custody and control of the facility when it begins commercial operation in 2017. Construction is soon to begin for the plant, which will utilise compressed air energy storage (CAES) technology.
CAES is a way to store energy generated at one time for use at another time. At utility scale, energy generated during periods of low energy demand (off-peak) can be released to meet higher demand (peak load) periods. “We needed an O&M
partner willing to work with us during the development stage of the project. In Wood Group, we found a highly experienced O&M service provider with an excellent reputation,” said Jack Farley, CEO of Apex. “As the O&M partner for
financial performance, we can stay aligned with our customer’s goals and objectives.” In Canadian news, Millar Western
Forest Products has awarded Pöyry a contract for EPCM services for an anaerobic bioenergy project at its Whitecourt pulp mill in Alberta. Te project involves integration
of anaerobic hybrid digesters into the existing aerobic effluent treatment system. Recovered organic material will be converted to biogas, used to fuel two reciprocating engines that will produce up to 6MW of renewable green power for use by the mill. Recovered heat from the engine exhaust gas will be used in pulp drying to reduce the use of natural gas.
Fig. 1. An existing Apex generating station in North America
Apex we are able to minimise technical and commercial risks, while incorporating a transparent and flexible contracting structure,” said Frank Avery, president of Wood Group GTS, Power Plant Services. “Our customer-focused programmes, practices and procedures apply to facilities with all OEM turbine technologies and platforms, and have been honed from a solid foundation of operating experience and continuous improvement. With a risk-based approach to plant performance and availability, regulatory compliance requirements, and
Pöyry’s scope of work comprises typical EPCM services such as project management and scheduling, overall engineering management and detail design services, procurement and contract administration, cost control, construction management and coordination of the commissioning activities. Te planned start-up of the plant is August 2015. “Tis project is a good example of utilising innovative technology in a smart way to convert organic waste material to renewable energy. It is also an important
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