DONG Energy and Siemens have deployed a maintenance team to exchange gearboxes and main bearings on two of the turbines at the 173MW Gunfleet Sands offshore wind farm off the Essex coast.
The maintenance work is being carried out using Ziton’s jack-up vessel Wind Pioneer, DONG confirmed to Offshore WIND.
The Gunfleet Sands offshore wind farm consists of two phases, Gunfleet Sands 1 with 30 turbines and Gunfleet Sands 2 with 18 turbines.
Both phases are featuring Siemens 3.6MW turbines. The wind farm is situated some 7km south-east of Clacton-on-Sea.
The construction phase for the total project comprising Gunfleet Sands 1 and 2 commenced in September 2008. Commissioning started in 2009, and the wind farm reached full production during the spring of 2010.
The wind farm was constructed by DONG, and is owned by DONG (50.1%), Marubeni (24.95%) and DBJ (24.95%).
DONG plans and carries out O&M projects for the wind farm in cooperation with the turbine supplier Siemens from its operation base in Brightlingsea.