Power Generation's Overhaul Programme Group
By David Dwyer, Overhaul Programme Manager, Commercial Group.
Overhaul Programme Group which is part of Commercial Group, Power Generation was formed late 2006 to manage delivery of selected Power Station plant overhauls. It was formed as part of the Asset Management approach by Power Generation. The high level objectives of Overhaul Programme Group are:
- To successfully manage a programme of Power Generation overhaul projects in terms of safety, time, cost and quality on behalf of the Asset Manager (sponsor) and to the requirements of the Production Groups (clients).
- To develop project management as a core competency in the business.
- To ensure lessons learnt are captured for continuous improvement of Overhaul Projects delivery.
Critical to the successful delivery of the Overhaul Projects is the development of the Project Teams with the right blend of knowledge, skills and experience coupled with the support of the appropriate processes and tools. Project Teams have been drawn from across Power Generation - Station Staff, Asset Technology Staff, Head Office Staff, Overhaul Programme Group Staff together with Staff from ESBI E&FM.
The Project Support Office (PSO), a key function within the Overhaul Programme Group, will provide an infrastructure in 2009 to support the Power Generation Overhaul programme, through the development of project management processes, project management tools and templates and through structured learning and development of the people involved. The Contractor Management Initiative (outlined in last month's EM article) forms an integral part of the PSO processes. Between 2008 - 2012, Overhaul Programme Group will manage the initiation, planning, execution and close-out of 25 overhauls with a value of €363 m. Two of the largest projects managed to completion in 2008 were the Aghada Unit 1 refurbishment and the Turlough Hill Unit 1 Refurbishment. The Aghada Unit 1 refurbishment (value €36m) began project planning in May 2007 after ESB Board approval of the project. The high level deliverables were:
- Extensive Control & Instrumentation replacement
- Major overhaul of 270MW turbine and generator
- Boiler Refurbishment.
- Switchgear and Electrical Protection upgrade
- Control Room Upgrade
The project scope was successfully delivered within budget and had no Lost Time Incident with 400,000 hours worked. The Turlough Hill 1 Refurbishment (value €8.6m) began after a generator forced outage in 2007. The high level deliverables were:
- Generator stator core replacement and full rewind of stator and rotor.
- Replacement/refurbishment of the generator auxiliaries.
- Complete overhaul of 73MW turbine.
- Governor and Auxiliary plant replacement.
- Generator protection upgrade
The project scope was successfully delivered within budget and had no Lost Time Incident with 27,000 hours worked. After the Turlough Hill Unit 1 forced outage experience, Power Generation Asset Manager sought and obtained ESB Board approval in November 2008 for the investment in the Hydro plant (Renewable Generation) as follows:
- Turlough Hill U2, U3, U4 Refurbishment Projects in 2010- 2012, each unit to have similar work as Turlough Hill U1 project in 2008, and Balance of Plant Projects at a cost of €59m
- Erne U3 & U4 Refurbishment Projects in 2010 – 2011 at a total cost of €18.8m. The major work programme for each unit includes replacement/ refurbishment of generator stator and rotor parts together with inspection & refurbishment of turbine and auxiliaries.
- Hydro Control Centre Upgrade at a cost of €6m. The Turlough Hill and Erne Refurbishment projects will also be project managed by the Overhaul Programme Group.
This article is one of a series of articles on Power Generation Commercial Group. Next month's edition of the EM will contain an articles on the PAR group in Commercial Group and will deal with, Properties, Demolition and Remediation in Power Generation.
"Consistent delivery of successful
overhaul projects will have a major
impact on Power Generation plant
performance and success in the
Energy Market place."
Donal Crean, Commercial Manager,
Power Generation
"Planning and implementing
the overhaul work on our assets
to the right quality standards is
fundamental to achieving high
performance in Power Generation."
Michael O' Mahony, Asset Manager,
Power Generation
"Aghada Unit 1 major overhaul
was the first project to be
completed end to end under the
Asset Management structure and
processes. It was a significant and
complex undertaking involving
plant refurbishment and full
change-out of the C&I system, and
its success was due in large part to
the enhanced project management
approach delivered by the Overhaul
Programme Group with the cooperation
and collaboration of
staff from the station, PG Asset
Technology ,PG Head Office and
ESBI."
Paul Smith, Aghada Station Manager,
Power Generation
"The creation of the Overhaul
Programme Group has
substantially changed the way
PG manages large overhauls in
stations. It has provided a renewed
focus on project management skills
and ensures that all such overhauls
are managed to a consistent
standard. Improving our
management of overhauls with the
involvement of all staff is critical
if we are to realise the long term
availability and efficiency benefits
of planned maintenance."
Glen Pope, Hydro Manager
