The turbine that was knocked out of commission because of a wayward drill bit will be offline for 45 days beginning in January, Deepwater Wind announced this afternoon, Friday, Dec. 23.
According to a press release issued by the Wind Farm’s Fisheries Liaison, Elizabeth Ann Marchetti, wind turbine number two (WTG 2) “has 26 magnets which are scratched. The scratches were the result of a drill bit that was left in the air gap of the generator during manufacturing by General Electric in France. The drill bit has been removed from the air gap. The generator works but the damaged magnets need to be replaced.” Marchetti said the turbine will not be in operation while it is being worked on.
The following summarizes the magnet repair plan:
- It is expected that the magnet replacement will take approximately 45 days and will begin in early January 2017
- The nacelle does not need to be removed, GE has tools that they will use to replace the magnets
- GE has hired the lift boat Lacie Eymard to provide accommodation for the technicians that will be working on the repair. The Lacie Eymard is effectively serving as an offshore hotel and safe work platform for the technicians.
- The Lacie Eymard is scheduled to arrive in Quonset between Tuesday, Jan. 2 and Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 and will head out to WTG 2 shortly after arrival weather dependent
- DWW will issue an updated Daily Notice to Mariners next week to notify fishermen and other stakeholders of the upcoming vessel activity and planned repair work at turbine 2
- The Lacie Eymard will jack-up alongside WTG 2 with a distance of approximately from the jacket legs at the seabed level. The Lacie Eymard will then lift the gangway onto the foundation such that the technicians can transfer from the Lacie Eymard to the foundation. The technicians will wear a life vest during the transfer.
- The Lacie Eymard was onsite at the BIWF in Q2 2016 during foundation grouting and is approved by the Marine Warranty Surveyor, the Certified Verification Agent and the USCG.
- Crew transfers will be executed by the Atlantic Pioneer which is the standard BIWF crew transfer vessel (CTV). All crew transfers will be from Quonset and/or Block Island to the BIWF.
- DWW will provide notifications during repair via Notices to Mariners distributed via USCG, Fisheries Liaison, and www.dwwind.com).
The Block Island Wind Farm is now in operation, and is expected to deliver energy to the island beginning in January.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/12/24/wind-farm-turbine-to-be-out-for-45-days/
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