Overcoming Complex Platform Challenges for Siemens North America Wind Projects

Service: Construction
Location: USA – various
Client: Siemens North America

Overview:

In 2019, Boston Energy signed an agreement with Siemens North America to provide skilled technicians for construction and commissioning projects across the USA and Canada. To facilitate this, Boston Energy established a subsidiary, Boston Energy Wind Power Services, incorporated in Rhode Island. Through this subsidiary, we deployed over 40 technicians to support more than 30 onshore wind farms across North America. Our teams provide key roles, including Technical Field Advisors, Installation Technicians, and Supervisors, contributing to the successful delivery of Siemens Gamesa projects.

Challenge:

A new tower platform was introduced for construction in North America, which presented several significant challenges:

• The construction company’s technicians had not received any prior training on this new tower type.
• The engineering proposal for the platform’s construction and troubleshooting had not been tested.
• Inherent faults were identified within the product as a result of factory production errors.

Our Solution:

Boston Energy’s Technical Field Advisors played a critical role in overcoming these challenges:

• We facilitated page-turn meetings with the construction company’s supervisors and lead technicians, reviewing the scope of work and advising on the best approach to completing the project. Our Technical Field Advisors supervised the lifting and mechanical and electrical (M&E) works, providing guidance at every stage.
• As procedural issues emerged during construction, our team documented each challenge and worked closely with the manufacturer’s engineers to develop and implement effective solutions. These issues were promptly addressed on each affected tower, significantly reducing the risk of project delays and penalties.
• Boston Energy’s Lead Technical Field Advisor collaborated on creating a retrofit schedule to ensure that every tower met the required specifications. Our commissioning technicians ensured that each tower was energized and optimized for maximum availability as quickly as possible.

Outcome:

The project was successfully completed and handed over to the end customer’s Operations & Maintenance (O&M) team. Several of Boston Energy’s commissioning technicians were requested to remain on-site for several months, where they shared their expertise and helped ensure the platform’s optimal performance.

Results:

Boston Energy’s technicians made a valuable impact on the project, with their contributions recognized by the manufacturer. Many of our technicians were specifically requested by name to assist with additional projects involving the same platform. Our collaborative, problem-solving approach—combining site-based testing and fault resolution—was identified as best practice and has since been applied to similar projects across the United States and Canada.