Blade runners

Alpha Offshore Service A/S has been awarded a contract with NoordzeeWind, a Joint Venture between utility company Nuon and Shell, for blade repair on the Offshore Windfarm Egmond aan Zee (OWEZ). The first large windfarm built in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, OWEZ consists of 36 3MW turbines and sits approximately six miles off the coast from the village of Egmond aan Zee.

Alpha Offshore will be providing experienced personnel with specialist knowledge of the 44 metre Vestas V90 turbines to undertake independent blade repair of around 80 blades. The scope of work will depend on the requirement of each blade but could include tip replacement, laminate repairs, lightning damage and leading edge protection systems upgrades.

To undertake the repair work, Alpha Offshore’s expert team will be using a variety of methods such as rope access and sky climber to safely and efficiently reach the blades. In addition to completing repairs the team will be project managing the work, preparing risk assessment and method statements and completing reporting.