TÜV SÜD has won a contract tendered by Siemens Wind Power to test 30 wind turbines in the North Sea. The contract covers component testing in accordance with the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health and is the first tangible result of a framework contract concluded in July.

TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH will test a total of 30 Siemens wind turbines within the scope of the Borkum Riffgat project. The services comprise the statutory testing of lifts, pressure vessels, ladders, fall protection and cranes against the requirements set forth in the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (Betriebssicherheitsverordnung, BetrSichV).

"I am very happy that Siemens has chosen TÜV SÜD as Approved Body", says Alexander Heitmann, Head of the Offshore Wind Services department at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH in Hamburg. "In this project, we can combine our experience in the testing of plants subject to monitoring with our acknowledged offshore expertise." Testing will first be performed onshore and move offshore following the installation of the turbines. "The preparations are as good as completed and the actual approval tests can be included in the project schedule at short notice", explains Heitmann. "The preparations for the next wind farm, which will be implemented immediately after the Borkum Riffgat project, are already under way."

TÜV SÜD provides a wide range of services aimed at ensuring safe, reliable and profitable wind energy farms. The international service corporation has significantly strengthened its position in the promising offshore sector with the establishment of its Offshore Wind Power department in Hamburg in 2011 and the acquisition of UK-based PMSS in August 2012.

Its service portfolio includes the certification of offshore wind farms, technical testing of offshore foundation structures, preparation of risk assessments, development and surveillance of occupational health and safety schemes, and monitoring and quality assurance throughout the entire construction phase of offshore projects. Further focal areas are factory inspection and production checks of the components including cross-interface quality assurance. The experts also offer periodic testing and inspection of offshore wind turbines and their foundations including all required Approved-Body tests.