ABS Group, the independent Certified Verification Agent (CVA) for the Block Island Wind Farm Project off Rhode Island, has issued a Verification Certificate to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) supporting the reliable operation of the first commercial wind farm in U.S. waters. The CRMC is the permitting agency responsible for overseeing that wind farm operations conform to state regulations.
The Block Island Wind Farm began commercial operations in December 2016, and the five-turbine wind farm is currently producing 30 MW at full capacity. Photo: Deepwater Wind.
The Block Island Wind Farm began commercial operations in December 2016, and the five-turbine wind farm is currently producing 30 MW at full capacity. As part of the CVA scope of work, ABS Group provided technical verification services to help confirm that the Block Island facilities had been designed, fabricated and installed in accordance with industry standards and accepted engineering practices. ABS Group will present the final Facility Design Report and Fabrication and Installation Report to the CRMC at the semi-monthly CRMC council meeting in January 2018.
“The CRMC is proud to have been the driving force behind the first offshore wind farm in the United States, through its Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) and groundbreaking permitting process, and we celebrate along with Deepwater Wind for achieving this Verification Certificate from ABS Group, the independent CVA for the project,” said Grover J. Fugate, CRMC Executive Director. “ABS Group’s independent evaluation of the design, construction, and installation of the Block Island Wind Farm was integral to the process outlined in the Ocean SAMP, and brought integrity and additional transparency to the project.”
“We are proud to have served as the CVA at the forefront of offshore wind energy development in North America,” adds ABS Group Director of Renewables Torsten Muuss. “Through our technical inspection and verification services, ABS Group is committed to supporting safer, more reliable assets and operations for the global renewables industry.”
Design verification is a critical part of project development and plays an important role in maintaining incident-free operations, according to Rain Byars, ABS Group Principal Engineer and Project Manager for Block Island. “ABS Group’s independent assessment of the design, fabrication, and installation of the wind farm provided lessons learned in understanding offshore wind project risk,” she says. “These insights will contribute to improving the project development process.”
ABS Group has more than 11 GW of offshore wind experience worldwide, with extensive experience providing services to some of the largest wind farms offshore the UK and Germany. The Company also provided an offshore wind inspection safety and risk assessment to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement with recommendations as to how to promote safer, more reliable wind inspection activities on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
As the trusted risk management advisor to the global offshore wind industry, ABS Group provides multi-disciplinary technical consulting and independent engineering capabilities in the areas of project certification, verification, quality assurance, inspection and owner’s engineering/advisory services. The company leverages over four decades of experience assessing offshore oil and gas facilities.
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