Porin Energia’s subsidiary Tuulia Energy Oy is actively involved in the operational maintenance of the Tahkoluoto Offshore Wind Farm. The company has carried out maintenance work on the park since the first pilot phase.
“Our service includes annual maintenance and repairs of both small and large components,” says Heikki Pukkila, Managing Director of Tuulia Energy.
Tuulia Energy has focused on the production of renewable energy operational services both onshore and offshore. The company offers expert services for the wind and solar power and other renewable energy production sectors as well as operation and maintenance services for the entire life cycle of projects, from individual projects to comprehensive care throughout the entire operating period of the power plant.
Planning and predictability are emphasised in the maintenance of offshore wind farms.
“It is essential that we can handle faults with as few visits as possible. This means, for example, that we can anticipate potentially failing components and carry out proactive replacement work in connection with annual maintenance.”
Specialist expertise for challenging conditions
The service and maintenance of offshore wind farms differs from onshore wind farms particularly due to the conditions. Onshore maintenance can be carried out practically all year round, and the sea is not necessarily accessible for long periods during storms and challenging ice conditions.
“Moving and operating at sea also requires more training from the personnel, and the safety requirements are of a different class,” says Pukkila.
The annual maintenance of the Tahkoluoto offshore wind farm will begin in the spring once the ice has cleared. In connection with the annual maintenance, work is carried out in accordance with the preventive maintenance programme and any faulty components are replaced, but in practice, there are also fault visits after the annual maintenance. In connection with each visit, we always look at what else can be done on site.
The replacement of main components at sea is among the most extensive maintenance work. For example, the replacement of blades, main bearings or gearbox requires a suitable weather window to get the equipment required for maintenance, such as ferries and cranes, to the site and back to the shore in good weather.
Weather conditions are also reflected in the foundations and cabling of offshore wind farms. Salt water can expose steel substructures to rust, and checking their anode protection is a specialisation area of its own. Similarly, repairing sea cables is more challenging than on land if damage occurs, for example, due to rocks rubbing the cables on the seabed.
Offshore wind farm develops the entire industry
In addition to Pori, Tuulia Energy has offices in Raahe and Ii. The cities and ports of Pori and Raahe are working together to develop offshore wind power capacity, which Pukkilanki considers to be a good thing.
“Pori and Raahe cover a large part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is particularly advantageous when it comes to the maintenance of larger components.”
Tuulia Energy has been part of the Pori Offshore Wind Farm’s partner network since the very beginning.
“There is a good spirit and culture in the group; everyone wants to find solutions to develop offshore wind power. We will be ready once the plant is up and running. We have already carried out servicing and maintenance on the current scale, and we have the capacity to scale up the operations even further,” says Pukkila.