B.6 Operations base

Function

The operations base supports the operation, maintenance and service of the wind farm.

Who supplies them

The wind farm owner is likely to choose a local construction company for the construction of the operations base.

Key facts

The specification for an operations base depends on whether the owner has chosen a shore-based maintenance and service strategy (using crew transfer vessels) or an offshore maintenance and service strategy (using service operation vessels).

For a shore-based strategy, the operations base consists of offices, warehousing, workshops, car parking and vessel berths. The total area of the site is likely to be about 8,000 m2.

A 1 GW wind farm with a shore-base strategy is likely to require up to 10 CTV berths. Fewer than this will be needed on a day-to-day basis but the owner will want to ensure that there is capacity to support peak turbine maintenance and service activity and for the use of balance of plant maintenance contractors.

CTVs use purpose-built concrete pontoons with mooring, electrical and water systems and a fast fuelling system. One CTV needs a berth of about 30 m. The berths are likely to be built ready for the construction phase before being reutilised for operation.

For an offshore maintenance and service strategy, a base may be used to support several wind farms. Although, an SOV will only visit port every 14 or 28 days, the owner is likely to want a dedicated berth of about 100 m. In theory, the administration of the wind farm does not need to be within the port but it is likely that owners will choose to locate it close to offshore operations.