In July 2009, SGS was assigned a contract to carry out Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental (QHSE) Management for the Belwind Bligh Bank Offshore Wind Farm in Belgium. SGS provides QHSE Management activities during the design, manufacturing and installation phases of the wind farm project in order to assure high quality standards and a safe project execution.

SGS Conducts QHSE Management for the Belwind Bligh Bank Offshore Wind Farm in Belgium

Daniel Hope | SGS Group Management Ltd.

Due to a variety of climactic factors such as wind, the location’s water depth, soil, wave, current and icey conditions, offshore wind farms involve many risks and challenges. To assure high quality and safe practice during the project development and realization phase, owners, investors, operators and insurance companies look for an independent third party company, which can optimize the generated revenue by conducting Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental Management.

Knowing SGS’ specialized competency and quality experts, in combination with its local and global knowledge regarding regulations and requirements, the owner of Belwind Bligh Bank Offshore Wind Farm in Belgium assigned SGS Renewables a contract to provide QHSE Management during the development and realization phase of the wind farm project.

The offshore wind farm project Belwind Bligh Bank, which comprises of 55 wind turbines and has a production capacity of 165 MW, is located on Bligh Bank, approximately 46 km from the Belgian coastline. Since July 2009, SGS has been responsible for the planning and conducting Quality as well as Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Management during the development and realization phase, which includes manufacturing, construction and commissioning of the Belwind Bligh Bank Offshore Wind Farm Project.

The key objective of the QHSE Management is to optimize the revenue of the wind farm by assuring high quality standards and a safe project execution during the realization phase, including supply, construction and commissioning of wind turbines, sub-structures as well as the electrical systems.

To ensure that all QHSE insufficiencies and other abnormalities are identified and documented, SGS established a flexible and practical QHSE Management system for the Belwind project including tools and procedures as a means to support the effective QHSE organization for the wind farm project. The SGS team of experts manages and monitors all QHSE activities in the project and reports to the project management and shareholders.

The owner of the Belwind Bligh Bank Offshore Wind Farm Project is very pleased with SGS’s excellent performance, and its extensive experience, professionalism and know-how. SGS has not only developed a practical and flexible QHSE management system, but also has the global specialized competence of quality experts coupled with local and global knowledge of QHSE regulations and requirements. SGS provides QHSE Management activities during the design, manufacturing and installation phases of the wind farm project and is likely to continue the cooperation with Belwind during next phases of the project’s development.

SGS Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental (QHSE) Management

SGS Competence Centre Wind Energy developed a functional plan to carry out effective Quality Management as well as Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) Management activities during the various phases of the wind farm project cycle to reduce risk and maintain quality.

Health, Safety and Environmental Management focuses on maximizing the prevention of personal injury, and avoiding any adverse impact on the environment from the design through to the construction and operating phase.

About SGS Wind Energy Services

The reliability of structures and wind turbines is essential for wind farms to perform successfully. SGS Industrial Services provides independent inspection and certification to improve dependency of wind energy projects and secure quality and certainty throughout the intended life span. SGS ensures the structural reliability, safe operation and accessibility of the wind turbines.

The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag

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