08/08/2012
EPURON Holding opts for complete maintenance arrangement from Availon
EPURON Holding GmbH & Co. KG, based in Hamburg, has decided in favor of the complete service and maintenance concept from Availon for the servicing and maintenance of a wind farm made up of 2MW wind turbine generators from Vestas®.
As a subsidiary of the Impax Group, a leading international investor, EPURON Holding GmbH & Co. KG represents the German and French onshore wind activities of the Impax New Energy Fund II. In this context, EPURON Holding is responsible for the development, funding, implementation and operation of wind farms in Germany and France. The enterprise therefore covers the entire value creation chain, from initial development right through to the administration and optimization of wind farm projects.
“We pursue a stable, and therefore, long-term business model, with constant returns but at the same time low risks for investors,” explains Christoph Kleine, Senior Manager Sourcing & Procurement at EPURON Holding.
Against this background, the enterprise recently decided to conclude a complete service and maintenance agreement, including the replacement of major components, with Availon for wind turbine generators (WTGs) type V80 VCS® at the Beesenstedt wind farm, located to the northwest of Halle an der Saale. The five WTGs with an output of 2 MW each, for which Availon, the independent cross-brand WTG service provider headquartered in Rheine, has given a guarantee of 97% availability over the entire lifetime of the agreement, have so far been covered by a basic service agreement concluded with the system manufacturer.
According to Christoph Kleine, the decision by EPURON Holding to replace the basic service agreement with a complete service and maintenance arrangement had to do with the enterprise’s business strategy: “We wish to operate the WTGs ourselves in the long term and, in view of the need to safeguard our own interests at this wind farm, see no alternative to a complete service and maintenance agreement. Thanks to the complete service and maintenance concept from Availon, we are much better placed to assess the risks, giving us a high level of transparency, which is crucial for a sound business model.”
One factor that played a key role, the Senior Manager Sourcing & Procurement states, is the high flexibility offered by the modular structure of the Availon complete service and maintenance concept, which allows the customers a great deal of scope in the choice of service and maintenance to be provided and the optimization modules. “Every wind farm has its own specific factors, which also determine the needs of the operator where service requirements are concerned. As in the conventional power plant sector, a process of professionalization is also taking place in wind energy in the fields of servicing and maintenance as WTGs have now come to be seen as standardized power generating systems. Availon has recognized this trend and therefore, with its complete servicing and maintenance concept, is able to accommodate the individual wishes of the operators to a very high degree.”
As other reasons for the partnership with Availon, besides the high level of flexibility in the comprehensive choice of service options, EPURON Holding also points to the high technological competence of the independent cross-brand service provider, the development of its own upgrades for optimizing WTG performance, e.g. through its existing and established Competence Centre and, not least, the positive experience already gained with Availon in other projects.
About Availon GmbH:
Since its formation in 2007, the current Availon GmbH has established itself as the leading multibrand provider of WTG maintenance services. Apart from focusing on the German core market the company is consistently extending its global strategic position.
Currently the full-service company operates with over 200 employees in Germany, Spain, Italy, and the USA.
At present, Availon GmbH maintains more than 1,300 MW worldwide.
The company’s proactive, complete service for WTGs includes the entire operational value-added chain, from remote monitoring and maintenance, the provision of spare parts and troubleshooting up to the optimization of wind turbines. Availon GmbH is the first independent WTG service provider to be fully certified by Germanischer Lloyd in all processes required for the servicing operation.
As a subsidiary of the Impax Group, a leading international investor, EPURON Holding GmbH & Co. KG represents the German and French onshore wind activities of the Impax New Energy Fund II. In this context, EPURON Holding is responsible for the development, funding, implementation and operation of wind farms in Germany and France. The enterprise therefore covers the entire value creation chain, from initial development right through to the administration and optimization of wind farm projects.
“We pursue a stable, and therefore, long-term business model, with constant returns but at the same time low risks for investors,” explains Christoph Kleine, Senior Manager Sourcing & Procurement at EPURON Holding.
Against this background, the enterprise recently decided to conclude a complete service and maintenance agreement, including the replacement of major components, with Availon for wind turbine generators (WTGs) type V80 VCS® at the Beesenstedt wind farm, located to the northwest of Halle an der Saale. The five WTGs with an output of 2 MW each, for which Availon, the independent cross-brand WTG service provider headquartered in Rheine, has given a guarantee of 97% availability over the entire lifetime of the agreement, have so far been covered by a basic service agreement concluded with the system manufacturer.
According to Christoph Kleine, the decision by EPURON Holding to replace the basic service agreement with a complete service and maintenance arrangement had to do with the enterprise’s business strategy: “We wish to operate the WTGs ourselves in the long term and, in view of the need to safeguard our own interests at this wind farm, see no alternative to a complete service and maintenance agreement. Thanks to the complete service and maintenance concept from Availon, we are much better placed to assess the risks, giving us a high level of transparency, which is crucial for a sound business model.”
One factor that played a key role, the Senior Manager Sourcing & Procurement states, is the high flexibility offered by the modular structure of the Availon complete service and maintenance concept, which allows the customers a great deal of scope in the choice of service and maintenance to be provided and the optimization modules. “Every wind farm has its own specific factors, which also determine the needs of the operator where service requirements are concerned. As in the conventional power plant sector, a process of professionalization is also taking place in wind energy in the fields of servicing and maintenance as WTGs have now come to be seen as standardized power generating systems. Availon has recognized this trend and therefore, with its complete servicing and maintenance concept, is able to accommodate the individual wishes of the operators to a very high degree.”
As other reasons for the partnership with Availon, besides the high level of flexibility in the comprehensive choice of service options, EPURON Holding also points to the high technological competence of the independent cross-brand service provider, the development of its own upgrades for optimizing WTG performance, e.g. through its existing and established Competence Centre and, not least, the positive experience already gained with Availon in other projects.
About Availon GmbH:
Since its formation in 2007, the current Availon GmbH has established itself as the leading multibrand provider of WTG maintenance services. Apart from focusing on the German core market the company is consistently extending its global strategic position.
Currently the full-service company operates with over 200 employees in Germany, Spain, Italy, and the USA.
At present, Availon GmbH maintains more than 1,300 MW worldwide.
The company’s proactive, complete service for WTGs includes the entire operational value-added chain, from remote monitoring and maintenance, the provision of spare parts and troubleshooting up to the optimization of wind turbines. Availon GmbH is the first independent WTG service provider to be fully certified by Germanischer Lloyd in all processes required for the servicing operation.
- Source:
- Availon GmbH
- Author:
- Janine Klopmeyer
- Email:
- windservice@availon.eu
- Link:
- www.availon.eu/...
