Conrad Energy to boost engine availability with Accelleron Turbo UptimeCare™
Press release | Baden, Switzerland | Aug 2, 2023
- Long-term service agreement to support UK energy provider’s diverse installed base of high-speed stationary engines
- Annual downtime per turbocharger to be reduced from weeks to hours, with significant impact on power generation capacity
- Turbo UptimeCare offers predictable costs, reduced downtime and access to a wide pool of readily available exchange units
Accelleron has signed a five-year Turbo UptimeCare™ agreement with Conrad Energy to deliver turbocharger servicing across the company’s more than 60 power generation facilities in the UK. The agreement is expected to dramatically improve turbocharger uptime across the power provider’s installed base.
Conrad Energy, an independent provider to the UK’s national electricity grid, had capacity of more than 700MW in 2022. The company selected Accelleron due to its wide deployment across Conrad Energy’s 400 engines and its strong service capabilities for turbochargers. Turbo UptimeCare™ is a modular service agreement tailored for users of high-speed stationary engines for power generation. Powerplant downtime is minimized between overhauls via the availability module, which guarantees the delivery of an exchange unit within a few days of planned maintenance. The use of exchange units from Accelleron’s turbocharger pool means that customers are not subject to the potential loss of revenue and downtime associated with waiting for replacement components to be delivered.
The agreement started with strong collaboration, including the development of an asset register that supports pro-active maintenance. As a result, Conrad Energy expects to reduce engine downtime to just a few hours.
Steve Conry, Chief Operating Officer, Conrad Energy said:
“Conrad Energy are the UK’s leading flexible generation specialists. When the grid requires us to respond at a moment’s notice, we need to be able to rely on our engines to ensure they supply consistent energy. Our in-house intelligent automation software predicts maintenance requirements across our fleet to pre-empt any malfunctions, and schedules servicing for minimal downtime. This contract with Accelleron will further minimise disruptions to our service caused by any unplanned turbocharger downtime, ensuring the reliability of output that the National Grid expect from us. Accelleron’s expertise and reach means we can do this across much of our network through one partner and at predictable cost.”
Sophie Madeley, Managing Director, Accelleron UK, said:
“Conrad Energy is our third customer for Turbo UptimeCare in the UK market, highlighting our strong reputation for service excellence in the power generation market. We have already established a strong working relationship and look forward to building our partnership across the contract to maximise the value-generating potential of Conrad Energy’s exceptional work.”
