Several large US wind owners have revealed they are taking on more operations and maintenance work in-house, potentially signaling a challenge ahead for O&M operators as the wind market matures and comes under greater cost pressure.
“During 2016 we made the decision to invest in a self-perform model for our operations and maintenance,” Pattern Energy chief executive Mike Garland said this week in a conference call.
By the end of this year Pattern, which owns 2.6GW of wind capacity across 18 projects, will be handling its own O&M at five of its wind farms, Garland says.
