TRIG, one of the shareholders in the Merkur offshore windfarm in Germany, has revealed that routine inspections have identified signs of stress fatigue on the support structure of the Helihoist on the turbines
The 396-MW Merkur offshore windfarm was built 45 km north of Borkum Island in the German North Sea. It is owned by APG, the Dutch pension investor and The Renewables Infrastructure Group Limited (known as TRIG), the FTSE 250 London-listed investment company advised by InfraRed Capital Partners.
The project uses 66 GE Haliade-150 6-MW offshore wind turbines and was fully commissioned in June 2019.
TRIG said generation at the windfarm was paused as a precautionary safety measure while the root cause of the issue is investigated.
The turbines are under warranty and there is a service contract with the manufacturer. Contractual provisions include a mechanism to protect lost revenue while turbines are not operational, subject to a cap.
TRIG said it is not currently expected that the cap will be exceeded and therefore no material financial impact is expected to the company.
TRIG said the first batch of turbines at the windfarm have now been brought back online, in consultation with the authorities. The project’s dedicated asset management team, with support from the company’s managers, is working closely with the manufacturer to identify and put in place a solution that will allow the windfarm to resume operating safely and effectively for the long term.
The company said it will provide a further update when it is available and expects to be in a position to do so in its interim results, which will be published in early August 2021.
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