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| The 30-megawatt, five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm is scheduled to go on-line in 2016. (Deepwater Wind). Note that the site of the five turbines will not be visible to Charlestown. |
By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
PROVIDENCE — Construction of the Block Island Wind
Farm is once again raising red flags and upsetting state officials. Last month,
the Deepwater Wind project caused alarm after inspectors found equipment damage
and a number of hazards that threatened worker safety.
This month, attention shifted to the quality of
construction — specifically welding procedures and construction practices by
the builder, Weeks Marine of Cranford, N.J.
The list of problems includes broken testing
equipment, unused moisture-extraction ovens and a lack of documentation. The
problems were reported by ABS Group, a consultant
hired by Deepwater Wind to monitor construction of the five-turbine wind farm.
Other CRMC members described the irregular practices
as “very concerning.” Several were agitated by the prospect of unverified
welding, unused and broken welding equipment, and faulty quality-control
devices.
Some welding isn’t being documented nor is it sanded
properly, according to Houston-based ABS. However, final inspections of the
welds performed by Weeks awarded flawless scores. The grading was referred to
as “implausibly 100 percent perfect” by CRMC council member Tony Affigne.
CRMC vice chairman Paul Lemont demanded better
oversight from ABS.
“We don’t want to be caught short-handed here,
because we’re on the hook and if something goes wrong they (the public) are
going to look to us, and if you are telling us something is wrong, dammit I
want to see it corrected.”
Gomez, a retired naval engineer, said harsh ocean
elements require extra-sturdy construction and strict procedures. He criticized
the apparent lack of thoroughness by the builders and suggested they retrain at
welding shops at the Quonset Business Park.
Affigne noted that Weeks was being scrutinized for a
second time in two months. “They are at the plate and there are two strikes
here,” he said. “Is there a problem in the management relationship between
Deepwater Wind and Weeks?”
Theodore Hofbauer, a director for ABS, said he
needed to investigate the matter before he could answer.
Deepwater Wind president Chris Van Beek said he
communicates regularly with Weeks. He stood behind the flawless test results
for the welds. The welders, he said, are certified to work or have worked
extensively in offshore construction. He promised to provide any missing
documentation. Any faulty welds would be fixed quickly, he said.
“So far, the welds have been tested and they are 100
percent correct,” Van Beek said. “I don’t think there is any trouble with the
welds.”
Missing information
ABS is also charged with overseeing construction of
the components used to assemble the 6-megawatt wind turbines. Turbine
manufacturer Alstom, however, has been slow to provide
information for ABS to review. Partial information has been received for some
components.
ABS missed the production for the main bearings and the pitch
system, two components that the CRMC has expressed an interest in monitoring.
“We’ve been asking for information and haven’t
received it from Alstom for some time now,” said Rain Byars, project manager
for ABS.
Byars said Alstom didn’t have a quality manager for
several months, which likely caused the slowdown in receiving information.
“Unfortunately, this has been an ongoing issue with Alstom,” Byars said.
Van Beek blamed the size and complexity of a
multinational corporation such as Alstom and a language barrier — the company
is based near Paris — for the delay in receiving information about component
construction.
Gomez again expressed concern over faulty
calibrators and unused equipment at the Deepwater site. “I still think that a
process needs to be followed and the equipment needs to be right,” he said.
“We’re not saying it’s right or wrong,” Hofbauer
said. “We’re saying we don’t have enough information at this point to say it’s
right or wrong.”
Affigne said the contentious meeting was a healthy
process for vetting information. “If every meeting is like this, then I think
we are going to be in good shape,” he said.
Safety issues
ABS also gave an update on several safety concerns
raised during the August CRMC meeting. The
issues at the wind farm site, some 3 miles off Block Island, included dropped
objects, loss of control of suspended loads, employees working under suspended
loads, and other onsite hazards.
ABS reported that Weeks has since made several
safety improvements. Training has increased. Safety representatives are on all
vessels. Protective bumpers have been added to barges.
In order to create a steadier work platform, the
jack-up lift boat Roberts is making its way to the site. The barge-like boat
has an attached crane and legs that anchor into the sea floor to provide
stability.
The damaged foundation sleeve that was hit by a
barge in late July has been repaired and returned from New Jersey.
A lack of lighting on the cranes, however, is a new
problem. During night construction, the booms from two cranes have come into
contact. Handheld lights are illuminating the second boom until light fixtures
are installed. Damage also is being assessed after a crane ball struck the
crane boom.
“From a safety standpoint, we’re very pleased with
the direction things have turned,” Hofbauer said.
“There’s definitely been a
much different attitude and view toward safety going forward and we are very
pleased with that.”
