Million-pound Cost Savings Available for Offshore Wind Operators through Independent Assets Monitoring According to New ONYX Insight Report

Offshore wind operators could save more than £1million on Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs per jack-up vessel campaign using independent data and intelligently planning their maintenance schedules more efficiently, according to a new industry report by ONYX Insight.

ONYX, the leading global predictive analytics solution provider, has revealed that although the offshore wind market has enjoyed considerable growth worldwide, challenges to its rapid proliferation still exist. 

The firm’s new report, The Offshore Advantage – A Guide to Utilising Predictive Technologies to Get Ahead in Offshore Wind, has been written by Vice President of Strategy and Operations, Evgenia Golysheva, who has highlighted the significant cost savings in identifying wind turbine equipment failures in advance and maximising the remaining useful life of components through independent health data, rather than solely relying on OEM reporting.

Evgenia Golysheva explains: “Traditionally, wind asset owners and operations have outsourced future turbine reliability risk to turbine OEMs. However, OEMs face their own challenges, such as achieving profitability, navigating supply chain challenges, and balancing new and existing projects.

“Independent third-party providers can amplify the benefits of data analysis, offering many advantages alongside OEMs, including immediate OPEX reductions through reducing the number of jack-up interventions. Analysis of a subset of UK offshore wind farms utilising 4MW turbine technology showed 1.4 jack-up deployment campaigns/year. This number is likely to be larger for newer, larger turbines due to the higher failure rates of major components. Offshore asset owners should aim for a single major maintenance campaign/year enabled by predictive maintenance digital technologies, unlocking multi-million-pound savings across the sector and lessening the pressure from vessels’ availability.” 

The ONYX report highlights five ways to implement independent data insights to get an advantage:

• Data-Driven End of Warranty: helps asset owners ensure they are not inheriting reliability or quality issues
• Benchmarking: allows operators assess performance, health and reliability
• Maintenance Audit: ensures maintenance is done to set standards
• Condition Monitoring to augment O&M: An independent analytics team can supplement in-house capabilities, fostering better communication between asset owners and maintenance service providers
• Data Access: the ability to access data quickly and easily is key when handling serial defects, performance enhancementprogrammes; when changing a maintenance contract of a service provider

Evgenia, a leading authority on predictive maintenance, believes operators should seize every opportunity to lower overheads and improve margins as the offshore wind market tightens.

She adds: “There is no denying that the industry needs to improve its operations and address inefficiencies which have been masked by an increase in turbine size in recent years. 

“The next 12-24 months present a pivotal opportunity for the industry to strengthen its fundamentals, revise its approaches and establish a robust pathway for the future.” 

Other key benefits of advanced failure detection to performance includes an increase in power production and greater reuse of components – resulting in not just cost savings, but an 85% reduction in CO² impact. 

Leveraging the advancements in failure detection technologies is not just about upholding operational efficiency; it’s vital for mitigating the risks of catastrophic failures in offshore wind farms.

Evgenia adds: “Although the wind industry has embraced condition monitoring technologies, especially those targeting drivetrains, challenges persist. Monitoring reduces the risk of undetected failures that can escalate into situations that, in severe cases, can lead to prolonged downtime and big losses.”

Shifting from OEM-provided condition monitoring to one-off health assessments or shadow monitoring offers a strategic move towards greater autonomy and improved asset management.

Although the industry’s standard approach of using OEMs for condition monitoring is well utilised due to the low costs it offers, the ONYX report makes clear that this short-term thinking limits the ability for operators to act strategically and that data and in-depth analysis will maximise offshore wind farm’s performance and longevity.

To download the full report, visit: https://onyxinsight.com/whitepapers/the-offshore-advantage/

ONYX Insight | https://onyxinsight.com/