WINDCENTRE - OPERATIONAL CONTROL ROOM

Our operational control room, WindCentre, is an industry leading innovation. It performs monitoring and communication services across our UK site management portfolio through a telephone and secure web accessed database. The operational controllers who man the control room provide the site managers and contractors with support and cover from 24hrs per day, 365 days per year.

All activities take place under an ISO 9001:2000 approved quality system. Our work control systems have been constructed from our real world experience of operating wind farms for large utilities and independent power producers. As a result you can be assured that we will control work in line with best practice protecting both your assets and your reputation.

Services Provided through WindCentre are listed below:

Work Control

Work control on a wind farm site in the UK is essential to ensure the wind farm company meets its health and safety responsibilities under the health and safety at work act, electricity at work act and other relevant legislation. In addition work control is required to meet the best practice guidance of the Renewable UK (RUK) Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR). WindCentre plays a key role in assisting our (or your) site managers in keeping track of all work activity on site.

Access Control

WindCentre is built around our purpose built database which is populated by our Operational Controllers and Site Managers. All personnel or visitors are booked on and off site through WindCentre with appropriate safeguards to ensure their safety. Natural Power will ensure that any contractors wishing to perform work on the wind farm site are inducted on the site procedures, have the appropriate training record and certification and have access to pre-prepared health and safety documentation in advance of the work progressing. This information is recorded in the database.

Work Orders

For any work taking place we will provide a Work Order number. This work order will be linked in WindCentre to the Method Statement and Risk Assessment provided by the contractor and (where applicable) to the AWP and other safety related documentation. For the majority of work taking place on wind farm sites our wind farm manager will not need to be in attendance, however we do perform dip checks and audits to ensure compliance is maintained.

Audit Trail

The software is designed to ensure all work activities have a full audit trail with cross referencing of information to provided added safety and security.

Handover of Plant Control

Work Orders are linked to handover of plant control under the RUK WTSR and all handover times are recorded in the database. At all times our database cross references any operational restrictions entered in the system against an asset or area of site to ensure the contractors are kept informed of any variation from normal conditions which may effect of prevent work from taking place.

SCADA Monitoring & Resets

The wind farm SCADA system is monitored from WIndCenter and the operational controllers are capable of monitoring and resetting alarms as part of a pre-agreed reset schedule where permissions are granted to do so.

PPA & Outage Reporting

The control room also provides reporting services as part of a schedule of within day, daily and weekly reports with outage notifications as part of TOGA or as part of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) obligations.

Weather Monitoring

Throughout the day and as conditions dictate our operational controllers monitor on-site weather, notifying personnel at site should adverse weather conditions become a threat to operations, such as low visibility, snow, lightning or high winds.

Emergency Co-Ordination

In the event of a site emergency, the control room provides a first point of contact and co-ordinates the steps required to manage the emergency, through a pre-prepared wind farm emergency plan specific to each site.

Grid Communications

In addition they can act as the first point of contact with the local electricity distribution company or NGT regarding work /operations across the designated HV Control Boundary.