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BUREAU VERITAS URGES FOCUS ON SUPPLY CHAIN QUALITY AS INVESTORS SEEK TO REDUCE LEVELIZED COST OF ELECTRICITY
Aug. 2 2022
With an increased focus on reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCoE) in wind and solar power and the pressure this places on developers and OEMs to ensure timely delivery of renewable projects, Bureau Veritas is reminding them that quality and maintenance of parts is essential to ensure costs don’t spiral.
It comes as material shortages in the supply chain continue to put pressure on delivering renewable energy projects on time, as seen recently at a large floating offshore wind farm off Norway. The installation of the final four turbines has been delayed until next spring due to steel supply chain bottlenecks, combined with the small weather window for installing offshore wind.
Poor quality product backfires significantly on overall project delivery, at a time where material availability is tight. Not only the cost of going back to the drawing board on sourcing materials like steel, but by bringing projects and power to the grid later than planned, developers can be sued as the whole value chain is affected. This sees the LCoE increase, while investors seek to bring costs down.
Guaranteeing quality begins at procurement, according to Bureau Veritas, which provides quality assurance and quality control to the renewables value chain.
Global Key Account Director Renewables
Bureau Veritas
“Now more than ever, quality is vital in the supply chain. With material shortages piling pressure on developers to meet deadlines, and investors keen to see the levelized cost of electricity come down, mitigating the risk of poor quality removes an additional layer of worry.
“Quality starts in procurement. It’s vital that potential vendors are quality assured, to ensure they can meet the needs and deadlines of a project, and that all relevant ISO certification is in place. Following quality assurance, quality control ensures that the final product has been witnessed and checked to guarantee its suitability for the job.
“At Bureau Veritas, we are able to represent renewables developers at all stages of the process – sourcing reliable project partners, supervision of the procurement process via shop and QA/QC inspections with the overall aim to mitigate the costs of poor quality and supply chain delays.”
Bureau Veritas has a track record of more than 250 Gigawatt (GW) in Offshore and Onshore wind and solar and supports major power companies globally. Its shop inspection team can act as a second party for developers and OEMs, acting as a representative of its client, or as an accredited or voluntary third party offering its independent technical consultancy to make recommendations and issue statements regarding product quality.