O&M : adding value
To achieve its goal of adding value to assets, EDF EN Services has structured itself around centres of excellence and a four-pronged development focus: improving production; delivering expertise; developing innovation; and extending lifespan.
Improving production
Our experts boost production by optimising asset performance. They collect, process and analyse the available data and introduce the appropriate production improvement solutions.
Experts to perform analysis
The EDF EN Services teams dedicated to improving production work with the Group’s various experts throughout the asset life cycle. Performance teams are assigned to develop state-of-the-art equipment and solutions to ensure optimum performance.
Data analysis and solutions are designed to:
- Reduce downtime;
- Reduce failures;
- Improve the performance ratio.
A Control Centre to ensure performance
The international, multi-technology European Operation Control Centre provides a wide range of services for all types of generating plants around the world, 24/7. The Operation Control Centre authorises access to plants, detects anomalies in real time, identifies failures and supports rapid remote response to reboot the affected assets.
The Operation Control Centre also supports EDF EN Services in its load scheduling activity. The Centre manages relations with transmission system operators, provides daily production forecasts and supervises and supports the establishment of on-site systems services. The Operation Control Centre can remotely regulate voltage and curtail production by an asset at the request of the transmission system operator.
Delivering expertise and developing innovation
Delivering expertise is a key success factor in Operation and Maintenance. EDF EN Services develops expertise in-house in order to optimise the activity, create synergies and develop innovative solutions that boost performance.
Experts to inspect and replace
Our multi-technology, multi-expertise teams are primarily engaged in improving major component replacement and on-site inspection processes. Our teams focus on Research and Development, working closely with EDF R&D to develop and analyse innovative solutions.
Their goals are to:
- Provide a precise picture of assets;
- ensure optimum operation of the generation fleet;
- Organise and manage replacement of major components.
Major component replacement
- Project management;
- Regulatory compliance;
- Risk control;
- On-site component replacement.
On-site inspection
- Functional tests;
- End of warranty inspections;
- Punch list;
- Technical Due Diligence.
Standard example of work: major component replacement.
Replacing a major wind turbine component (blade, rotor, gearbox, generator, etc.) is a three-stage process comprising inspection, management and supervision.
| Inspection | The operation starts with a preliminary turbine inspection taking account of local regulations and safety management. |
| Management | Operations are carried out on site by a site manager, with crane operators and experienced component replacement engineers and technicians. All operations are overseen by a methods and safety engineer. |
| Supervision | The turbine is then restarted and carefully monitored by operations engineers and technicians during the testing phase. A final inspection phase completes the process, following which the turbine resumes normal operation. |
Experts to certify and monitor
Our dedicated experts work primarily on systems that connect assets to the power transmission grid and optimise wind and solar plant revenue. They develop solutions complying with applicable regulations in order to obtain site certification and improve production.
To ensure the asset integration within the grid, our experts provide inspection, analysis, checking and long-term monitoring of major substation components in order to detect anomalies and ensure optimum operating condition. These tests ensure that your installations comply with applicable regulations and support the introduction of efficient systems to improve grid balance.
They also provide technical support for field teams working with grid operators on exceptional projects: major component replacements and retrofits.
Optimised inventories for a better responsiveness
EDF EN Services improves and optimises its purchasing process to ensure that an inventory of strategic parts is available to customers at all times. The goal is to optimise procurement of parts in order to reduce asset downtime.
Procurement of spare parts and major components is secured by long-term framework agreements with selected partners throughout Europe. To ensure better part availability, EDF EN Services maintains six large logistics centres in Europe as well as 38 spare parts warehouses.
Expend assets lifespan
The e-Diagnostic Center to ensure preparedness
To lengthen asset lifespan and optimise long-term asset performance, EDF EN Services focuses on Big Data as a key part of its strategy. Our experts develop innovative solutions to collect and analyse asset data.
To do this, EDF EN Services set up the e-Diagnostic Center (e-DC). The goal is to improve and foster predictive maintenance. Our experts analyse the data collected by sensors installed in the major asset components to improve production and anticipate asset aging.
The e-DC now makes it possible to predict and optimise replacement of a major component while minimising contingencies, reducing asset downtime and thereby significantly reducing production losses.
e-DC key figures:
- Europe-wide monitoring: France, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Greece
