GRIF Wind Supports TotalEnergies' Energy Transition

Why did Wind R&D take an interest in GRIF?

Guillaume Clément: The economic viability of a wind farm, whether offshore or onshore, relies on optimizing the availability/maintenance cost ratio. For this, very detailed availability data is needed, as well as simulations of various maintenance scenarios (types of vessels, speed, number of technicians, intervention schedules, weather conditions...). These complex calculations allow us to adjust the operational strategy to meet a dual objective: deliver satisfactory energy production and optimize operating costs. This led to the choice of calculation tools. We surveyed the market, and the dedicated solutions were few and less performant than those used in the Company’s historical activities, especially in capturing rare events like submarine cable breaks and in explaining the results. This led to the idea of transposing GRIF to wind energy and more broadly to renewable energies.
 

What was your approach?

G.C: For 18 months, we worked hand in hand with the GRIF team to create a version adapted to wind energy, GRIF Flex Wind. A module that incorporates the fundamentals of availability calculations and integrates the specificities of offshore wind farms. For example, the fact that marine logistics represent 40% of OPEX (compared to about 5% for an FPSO), hence the challenge of properly sizing maintenance teams and vessels, and the fact that weather can make sites inaccessible for several days (storms, high winds...) and delay repairs.