UK: Scira Introduces Team that Keeps Blades Turning

Construction of Sheringham Shoal is complete, now the wind farm will need ongoing maintenance to ensure the blades keep turning and power keeps generating.  As well as providing and installing the 3.6MW wind turbines, Siemens also has a five-year service contract with Scira to maintain and repair the giant machines under warranty.

Siemens service site manager Graeme Pickersgill, from Aylsham, said his 39-strong team’s main role is to ensure each of the 88 turbines has a full service – including oil changes, gearbox and generator alignment and filter replacements – every year. Each service takes between four and five days to complete.

The Siemens team is 32 wind turbine technicians who transfer offshore to carry out the work; four service planners who plan and coordinate the logistics; an administration assistant; a warehouse storeman and a health and safety representative.

“We are all fresh recruits to this project and local to Norfolk with previous careers ranging from the Forces and car mechanics to electricians,” Mr. Pickersgill said.

Graeme’s team members work in rotation, with the planners working four days on and four days off, and the technicians working a rota around the tidal patterns, with 12-hour shifts.

A typical day would start at the Scira offices for a toolbox talk and preparations, including organising gear and bringing packed lunch, before travelling on mini-bus to the outer harbour. Every day 12 technicians – nominally three teams of four – will board a transfer vessel and swipe on with a personal identification card. This is a key part of a system that tracks everyone going to work on the wind farm.

The team within Scira Marine is responsible for all the transfer arrangements – both onshore and off – so there is a significant amount of interface between Siemens and the marine coordinators.

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Press release, December 18, 2012; Image: Scira