EDS Scores 15-year O&M Contract

High voltage engineering specialist EDS HV Group, part of the UK marine services company James Fisher and Sons, announced Friday it has secured a 15-year operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for OFTO assets at the Greater Gabbard wind farm off the coast of England. The contract has been awarded by Equitix Investment Management which own the concession and who will rely on EDS to help maximize the availability of the high voltage network.

EDS said its team of engineers and technicians will provide a full turnkey solution for two offshore platforms, the onshore substation and grid connection at the 500MW Greater Gabbard in Lowestoft, Suffolk to help the wind farm fulfill its output potential.

EDS will supply maintenance services on both the transmission assets and auxiliary systems, including fire systems and cranes, as well as providing CTVs. Operations will be managed from EDS’s 24/7 control center and will include network surveillance, high voltage (HV) safety management and marine coordination utilizing James Fisher’s Offshore Wind Management System (OWMS).

Ryan Henderson, executive director at EDS HV Group, added, “This is a key contract award which aligns with the James Fisher group’s long-term strategy to become the number one provider of operations and maintenance services to the offshore wind industry.

“At EDS HV Group, our mission is to maximize high voltage network availability in offshore wind to help ensure the long-term sustainability of our industry.”

In addition to its core HV engineering expertise, EDS now has the capacity to offer its customers a diverse range of topside and subsea services, via the wider James Fisher group, the company said.