By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
tribune staff writer
KEYSER — The manager of two wind farms in Somerset County, Pa., whose company is poised to assume ownership of the proposed Pinnacle Wind Farm near Keyser, described his firm as community oriented and heavily focused on both employee and turbine safety.
Speaking Monday night to the Community Advisory Panel for the Pinnacle project, Doug Vance, operations and maintenance manager for the Forward and Lookout wind farms near Berlin, said Edison Mission Group is a national energy producer committed to both alternative energy and coal-generated power.
“We're looking at all sorts of alternative fuels,” he said, noting that 80 percent of the company's energy is still produced by coal-fired plants.
The advisory panel was commissioned by U.S. WindForce, which as the developer of the 23-turbine Pinnacle wind farm, has invested several years in designing the project, researching its effects on the environment and addressing the many other issues related to wind energy development. If the West Virginia Public Service Commission approves the $131 million project, WindForce will essentially turn the keys over to Edison Mission Group, which will build and operate the wind farm.
Vance said Pinnacle would likely employ five to six full-time technicians once the wind farm became operational.
Hundreds would be employed during the nine-month construction phase, which will begin next spring if the PSC approves the project in January.
An 18-year employee of Edison, and a native of Fairmont, W.Va., Vance said his company goes the extra mile to serve as a good corporate citizen.
“We are heavily involved in the communities where we are,” he said.
In Berlin, Edison is located just outside the town in an former auto dealership. The company allows its lot to be used for an annual tractor pull, works with the fire department, and is a regular presence at the community fair. The company has also purchased specialized equipment for the fire department to mount high-angle rescues on turbines or high-rises.
“Edison Mission is very, very flexible when it comes to working with those kinds of groups,” Vance said.
As for its employees, Edison not only stresses safety but invests in it. After a worker at a Wyoming wind farm was injured while climbing the 300 foot turbine tower to reach the generator at the top, Edison invested more than $200,000 in development of a motorized harness that effectively lightens a man's own load while climbing. Using the device, a 200-pound man climbs the ladder's heights feeling as if he weighs 75 pounds.
“That's an example of a company that will spend money to do the job right,” Vance said.
Aside from the specialized lifting harness, employees scaling the towers for daily maintenance checks go through a rigorous and mandatory check list of safety gear, and are tethered at all times to cables and tie-off points. A sure firing offense, Vance said, is disregarding such safety measures.
As for the work the technicians perform, Vance said each of the 32 turbines at Forward and Lookout are shut down every two days to allow technicians to perform visual checks on the rotors and other equipment. Once every six months, workers check the towers from top to bottom, surveying every nut and bolt.
Vance said there are 311 different reasons for taking a turbine off line.
“It's a lot of maintenance,” he said.
While such attention to detail promotes safety and efficiency, it also makes good business sense. Wind turbines are like any other finely calibrated machine, subject to any number of problems, from vibration to inadequate lubricant. The key to producing energy is having the turbines ready to spin when the wind rises.
“Availability is everything with wind,” he said. “You've got to be ready when the wind is there.”
Vance also said that Edison works closely with the landowners who lease their mountaintop property for the turbines. If the landowner wants the area seeded with clover to attract deer, or felled trees piled up to harbor other wildlife, the company will gladly make it happen.
“We've got a great relationship with the landowners,” he said. “They're heavily involved.”
The PSC last week held its evidentiary hearing on the Pinnacle project. A decision on the wind farm is expected in early January.
Keyser, W.Va. —
