An interview with a planner: Talking offshore wind and how projects come together

Meet Albert van der Wiel, Planner and Scheduler who has helped companies deliver their projects in several complex industries, from major FPSOs to offshore windfarms.

Planners are key to projects being delivered on time and within budget, so when you want to know what happens behind the scenes, there's nobody better to ask.

We had a really interesting conversation about how offshore windfarms are built, and how things are a little different in oil and gas.

Each company (operators and contractors) has a planner or scheduler covering different aspects of a project. 

The operating company gets a permit to build a windfarm, then draws up a high level schedule which develops over time into the FID (Final Investment Decision) and a more detailed schedule.

The schedule reflects the key moments in the development of the project and is attached to the contract. 

The bid-winning contractor then begins providing engineering/construction services — but they can't begin until their planner develops a detailed implementation schedule. 

Engineering and installation schedules are developed in parallel and are quite extensive.

Parts are made in different locations all over the world, and they need to be moved to the marshalling yards by a certain time.

This involves a lot of work for procurement and logistics – enquiries to be made, quotes obtained, orders placed, and so on. 

All the parts then need to be loaded onto a vessel and transported to the site for installing.

The installation is done in campaigns: Piling/Foundation – Jackets – Nacelles – Rotors, as well as the cabling and substations to connect the windfarm to the power grid back onshore.

The aim is to finish the last piece of one campaign at the end of the season so you can start the next campaign the following season.