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GENERATION & WHOLESALE MARKETS
October/November 2012 www.esb.ie/em
Safety Day at Fullabrook Wind Farm
ESB RENEWABLE O&M, which maintains and operates Fullabrook Wind Farm in North Devon, recently hosted a Safety Day at the Imperial Hotel in Barnstaple. The event brought together staff associated with the project and members of the local emergency services to discuss the emergency procedures at the wind farm.
Fullabrook is a 66MW wind farm with 22 Vestas V90 wind turbines that have a hub height of 65m. The site covers a large area and it is important that emergency services are familiar with access and egress routes in case of an emergency.
The meeting was followed by a tour of the wind-farm site and a demonstration by Vestas personnel of how to lower an injured person inside a turbine tower. ESB is very grateful to the local emergency services for attending the Safety Day. All parties agreed that the event was a valuable learning exercise, and ESB is committed to working closely with the emergency services in the future.
Several days after the Safety Day, a Sea King Helicopter Search and Rescue Force (SARF) practiced the RAF SARF standard operating procedure for search and rescue for sea-based wind farms at Fullabrook. The Sea King Helicopter crew is located at Chivenor Royal Marine Base, which is adjacent to the wind farm. As there are currently no operational off-shore wind farms in the vicinity, ESB gave permission for the RAF SARF to practice winching their rescue personnel from the turbines at Fullabrook, which is actually several miles inland.
This exercise was of mutual training benefit and ESB was delighted to be able to facilitate the RAF in this instance.
Corporate Social Responsibility in action at Coolkeeragh
COOLKEERAGH HAS BEEN involved in supporting its local community in various ways in the last year. It has used Business in the Community (BITC) as a facilitator in meeting its local responsibilities. BITC is supported by companies to help in making a positive impact on people, the planet and the places in which they are located.
Some BITC initiatives are detailed below:
Local School Sponsorship
We have sponsored a Oakgrove College in a technology project and a science project.
In the technology project, staff member Joe Coyle helped an Oakgrove Technology Class build solar-powered cars. The students showed great enthusiasm in the engineering and science that went into developing their models and it gave their teacher an opportunity to open discussion on the topic of sustainability. The model solar-powered cars were of a high standard but the weather on the test day let us down and an ‘artificial sun’ had to be used. Joe awarded a prize to the best design.
In the science project, Shauna Concannon worked on a number of chemistry, physics and biology projects that were relevant to the power station activities and that were agreed with the school’s science facility. The collaboration involved students visiting the Coolkeeragh site and Shauna explaining background issues relevant to the project. She was very impressed at the students’ interest.
Silver Surfers
The aim of the BITC Silver Surfer’s Day is to teach people over-50 how to access the internet, send an email, do online banking and shop online. Informative, free ‘taster’ sessions were held at libraries and other venues throughout Northern Ireland.
Brian Robinson from Coolkeeragh got involved in the Silver Surfers Initiative and said, “I hope those I met got something back from it. All who attended expressed an interest in doing a follow up course on introduction to computing.”
During the day, Brian met with about eight attendees who had a variety of previous skills and wish lists varying from finding out more about their surnames to shopping on-line to adding photographs to PowerPoint.
Social Enterprise
Coolkeeragh has supported local charities by supporting staff in their giving a day to help in areas of need in the community. This is managed via the Community Committee.
One such area was the local Foyle Hospice.
Coolkeeragh has also participated in the Environmental survey organised by BITC. This, along with the Companies Sustainability Drive, has helped staff at the power station focus on the impact we are making in the world in which we are passing through.
At Coolkeeragh, we have also been involved in raising the profile of STEM subjects and have been working with schools on a regular basis.
So far in 2012, Coolkeeragh has hosted eight school visits, where students are given an outline of the power industry and technology market as well as a tour of the plant. Comments include stating that “it was different than we expected” and surprise at how ‘clean’ the environment is.
In 2012, Coolkeeragh facilitated 13 one-week placements for secondary school students. Students were paired together and given a topical challenge that the plant wants to resolve. The projects range from sustainability, operations or maintenance. The students were required to investigate options to resolve the issue and then present there findings to station staff representatives. The presentation also involved a Q&A session to get a greater in-depth understanding of their solution. Feedback from the schools was very positive and students commented on the great assistance they got from Coolkeeragh staff.
Later in the year, the station will provide support to schools as they prepare their senior students for life beyond school. This will include interview skills training for the students and also participation in Q&A sessions.
At Coolkeeragh, the team is very aware that participation in these events is not all one way. Staff that have participated have gained confidence in themselves and have the satisfaction that they have made a positive impact on those around them.
