364 MW: Gamesa and Vestas land new service contracts

Zamudio & Madrid, Spain

Gamesa has secured a contract with the IPP Veronagest to provide operation and maintenance (O&M) services on 181 wind turbines with total installed capacity of 234 MW for a period of ten years.The company will perform maintenance services on 70 Gamesa wind turbines, each with capacity of 2.0 MW, and on 111 Gamesa 850 kW turbines, located in seven Italian wind farms.

Under the terms of the agreement, Gamesa will install its Algorithm Improvement Program in the turbines. This program optimises turbine productivity by enhancing load curves and increasing their operating ranges.

The 2 MW turbines will also be fitted with the company's continual improvement program known as Gamesa Premium Availability (GPA), which is designed to boost platform availability, diminish risks and reduce the cost of energy (CoE). GPA implies a host of turbine enhancements, ranging from operational and software upgrades to minor repair work, streamlined logistics for major repair work and preventative maintenance systems. These design and process improvements maximise turbine availability and can lower a wind farm's operating expenses by up to 10%.

Vestas has, for its part, also procured 10-year advanced service contract renewals with GDF SUEZ Energia Italia, which heads the Italian-based energy business of the GDF SUEZ Group, for six wind power plants in Italy with a total capacity of 130 MW

Source: IWR Online, 05 Jul 2013