ABS GROUP OVERVIEW
Customers in the global power market turn to ABS Group as a trusted partner and experienced consultant to solve some of their most challenging problems. We offer a broad spectrum of technical capabilities and services, all of which are designed to address two primary areas of concern for our power customers:
reducing costs associated with their energy assets through enhanced quality assurance / control, efficient maintenance optimization, and operating performance, and maintaining safe conditions and regulatory compliance in today’s increasingly complex operating environment.
With a history that spans more than 40 years, ABS Group employs a global network of consultants, engineers, and other professionals in more than 80 offices in 30 countries world-wide, giving us global reach combined with the ability to execute very efficiently in local markets. Supported by an extensive background serving the international power sector, ABS Group combines cutting-edge technology and innovation with practical experience to deliver customized solutions on time, in locations throughout the world.
Complementing our services in the power sector, we also have significant capabilities in a number of other market sectors such as oil and gas, chemicals, offshore and marine, manufacturing, and government. ABS Group is an affiliate of ABS, a leading marine classification society founded in 1862 with operations in 70 countries globally. As part of the ABS family, we have independence, strength, and a long term perspective that benefits our customers and provides confidence in our services and support. Our knowledge and experience spans the power industry with deep expertise in conventional, renewable, and nuclear facilities. ABS Group is proud to have worked for many of the leading utilities, independent power producers, renewable power operators, and other key participants in the global power market, and enjoy many long-term relationships with customers who have turned to us repeatedly over the years for support.
ABS Group’s team totals more than 2,000 full time professionals and technical staff. Nearly 590 of ABS Group’s professionals hold advanced degrees in their fields. This wealth of human capital and intellectual resources enables us to take on some of the industry’s most challenging assignments. Our experienced engineers and other professionals treat each task with a level of responsiveness and focus that our customers have come to expect as an ABS standard of excellence. ABS Group holds current
accreditations for its ISO 9001 Quality Management System and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.
CAPABILITIES IN THE POWER SECTOR
ABS Group’s services and practice in the power sector are organized around two primary focus areas:
Enhancing financial returns on energy assets and investments, and achieving and maintaining safety and regulatory compliance allowing our customers to maintain their entitlements and the ability to operate efficiently without interruption.
Enhancing Energy Asset Returns
In today’s complex and highly competitive power markets, owners of power plants, transmission infrastructure, and other energy assets continuously seek new ways to maximize plant efficiency and meet all quality and performance requirements in order to realize their expected return on investment. ABS Group has a comprehensive suite of services that help our customer achieve these important goals:
Project Quality Management Programs where ABS Group serves as an Owner’s
Representative to ensure the delivery of quality equipment, materials, and construction promised by the contract specifications and required under the applicable codes and standards
Third Party Inspection and In-Service Inspection to certify quality on new or existing plant as needed by the Owner or regulators, including ASME inspections
Vendor Surveillance Services, Supply Chain, and Expediting Services allowing us to be our customer’s eyes and ears in the factories, fabrication yards, and vendor facilities world-wide ensuring quality standards are satisfied in today’s complex and ever-changing OEM supply and subcontractor chains
Design Verification Services that ensure the project designs meet all regulatory requirements and applicable codes and standards
Plant Due Diligence Services to inspect and confirm existing plant condition, operating and maintenance practices, and other important criteria in advance of acquisition
Enterprise Asset Management programs that develop, deploy, benchmark, and sustain your overall maintenance program and CMMS platforms
Achieving Safety, Compliance, and Risk Management
Realizing great performance and quality is only achievable if robust compliance programs are in force which preserve a plant owner’s license to operate and protect against loss due to unforeseen events. We help our customers implement comprehensive compliance programs impacting the power sector
including:
Compliance Programs around specific compliance tasks (such as NERC CIP) or milestones such as audits, surveys, or gap analyses; and on-going compliance management programs where we take responsibility for all aspects of compliance processes, internal auditing, and reporting
Safety Programs including PHA, PSM, HAZOP, HAZID, LOPA and similar studies and analysis methodologies, as well as comprehensive safety training courses
Risk Analysis and Management Programs including probabilistic risk analysis (PRA), catastrophic event and consequence modeling, natural hazards analysis, and physical security assessments
ADDING VALUE OVER THE ENERGY ASSET LIFECYCLE
ABS Group’s comprehensive services in the power sector are designed to create value and deliver results across the entire energy asset lifecycle, from initial concept and development, to engineering and construction, to operations and maintenance, and finally end-of-life and decommissioning or reuse.
Project Development, Design & Engineering
Ensuring the asset is designed correctly, in full compliance with codes and standards, fit for purpose, and optimized for the Owner’s operational goals
Fabrication, Construction & Installation
Ensuring all construction, equipment, and components meet project quality
requirements; providing independent certification of quality; de-risking project execution; optimizing maintenance planning
Operations & Maintenance
Meeting current and future regulations; supporting on-going safe, compliant, and reliable operation; minimizing outages and costs; maximizing availability and revenues
End-of-Life & Decommissioning
Realizing maximum value from surplus assets; supporting asset reuse/relocation; providing independent verification of asset condition
GLOBAL POWER EXPERIENCE
ABS Group is distinguished by our long history and experience across many areas of the power industry. We have substantial experience working with all major generation technologies including nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy plants, and have delivered a wide range of services to customers who fill varied roles on power projects, ownership, and operations. We are proud to have worked for many of the leading companies in the international power market including the following select examples:
ADA-ES ●
AEP ●
Alabama Power Company ●
Alabama Power Company ●
Algonquin Power & Utilities ●
Alliant Energy ●
Alstom ●
Aquila ●
AREVA ●
Arizona Public Service ● Arizona Public Service ● Atomic Energy of Canada ●
Axpo Holding ●
Babcock & Brown Power ●
Babcock Marine ●
Barbados Power & Light ●
Batelle ●
Bechtel ●
Bosque Power Company ●
Calpine ●
CFE ●
Chelan County PUD ● China International Water & Electric Corporation ●
City of Bryan ●
City of San Francisco ● Connexus Energy ● Constellation Energy ● Constellation Energy ● Corrienta Alterna ● Covanta Energy ● Covanta Energy ● CPS Energy ● Daewoo International ● Deepwater Wind ● Dominion Resources ● Duke Energy ● EDF ● EL Paso Energy ●
Electricity North West Ltd ●
Entergy ●
Enxco / EDF Renewable Energy ●
EPRI ● Exelon ● FirstEnergy ● Fisherman’s Energy ● FPL ● GDF Suez ●
Granite Ridge Energy ● Grant County PUD ● Great River Energy ● Hanford Nuclear Reservation ● Honiton Energy Group ●
Hyundai Engineering &
Construction ●
International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) ● International Power ●
J Power ●
Jacksonville Electric Authority ● Kansas City Power & Light ● Korea Hydro and Nuclear
Power ●
Korea Nuclear Fuel Company ●
Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory ●
Los Angeles Department of
Water & Power (LADWP) ●
Luminant ●
Maurbeni Corporation ●
Minnesota Power ●
Mirant ●
New Brunswick Power ● New York Power Authority ●
NextEra Energy ●
NiSource ●
North American Energy
Services ●
NRG Energy ●
Nuklearna elektrarna Krško ●
PG&E ●
Powergen Trinidad ●
PPL ●
PSEG Nuclear ●
Reedy Creek Energy Services (Walt Disney Company) ● Rolls-Royce Power Engineering ●
RWE Innogy ●
Salt River Project ●
Saudi Aramco ●
Seattle City Light ● Sempra Utilities ● Shanghai Electric Power
Generation ●
South Carolina Electric & Gas
(SCANA) ●
Southern California Gas
Company ●
Southern Company ● Southern Nuclear Operating
Company ●
STARS Alliance ●
STP Nuclear Operating
Company ●
Texas Municipal Power Agency ●
Tractabel ●
Tuas Power ●
Tucson Electric Power ●
TVA ●
UK Health & Safety Executive ●
US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)
●
Vattenfall Wind Power ●
Vestas ●
Wartsila ●
Westinghouse Commercial
Nuclear Fuels ●
● = Enterprise Asset Management, CMMS Integrations, ● = Project Quality Management, Third Party Inspection, ● = Compliance Programs, ● = Renewable Energy Projects, ● = Nuclear Energy Risk Analysis Projects
POWER GENERATION TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE
ABS Group brings a breadth and depth of experience across many different power generation plant types. Our comprehensive coverage allows us to serve today’s diverse market participants with an integrated approach. We have experience with the following power generation technologies and plant types:
Gas Turbines and Reciprocating Engine Power Plants
Coal Fired Power Plants
Nuclear Power Plants
Utility Boilers and HRSGs
Offshore and
Onshore Wind Farms Hydroelectric Plants
Conventional Power
Our experience in conventional power plants spans gas turbine (simple cycle and combined cycle), coal fired, and reciprocating engine plant types. For these asset owners, we have provided:
Project Quality Management Third Party Inspection Vendor Surveillance
Enterprise Asset Management
Computerized Maintenance Management Systems Physical Security Audits and Programs
Process Safety, Process Hazards, and Risk Assessment Explosion and Blast Analysis, Siting Studies
Nuclear Power
ABS Group is recognized as one of the world’s leading nuclear risk consultants, having pioneered many of the probabilistic risk analysis methodologies now widely used across the industry to understand risk and bring the most effective mitigation strategies to bear on them. Our comprehensive services in the nuclear sector include:
Probabilistic Risk Analysis / Probabilistic Safety Assessment Structural Mechanics and Seismic Engineering
Anti-terrorism and Release Modeling Fault Tree Analysis
Extreme Event Analysis Emergency Management
Risk Informed Asset Management (RIAM) Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) Piping & Pressure Vessel Integrity Analysis Proprietary Software Platforms for Risk Analysis
(MIDASTM, RISKMAN®, THESISTM)
Renewable Power
In renewable power, we bring a unique focus and capability in renewable energy project development and support services:
Project Siting
Certified Verification Agent Quality Assurance
Supply Chain Surveillance Design Verification Engineering Studies
PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND CREDENTIALS
Our ability to solve complex problems for our customers is directly related to the expertise and knowledge of our professional and technical staff. We have assembled a truly world-class team of experts in a variety of fields that are highly relevant to thechallenges our power customers face. Many of our senior staff have been with ABS Group for decades and are recognized as leaders in their fields. Nearly 590 of our professionals hold advanced degrees. Our global staff also holds a wide range of certifications for
inspection services, including ASME boiler inspection, certified welding inspection, and other related accreditations.
Our staff expertise covers the following key subject areas relevant to the power sector: Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Instrumentation & Control System Engineering Structural Engineering Civil Engineering Nuclear Engineering Marine Engineering Environmental Engineering Meteorology Physics Chemical Engineering
Our staff accreditations include: Certified Welding Inspector Registered Professional Engineer Chartered Engineer
ASQ Certified Lead Auditor
API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspector API 570 Piping Inspector
API 653 Above Ground Storage Tank Inspector
ASME Inspector / Nuclear Inspector
MOM Inspector (Singapore) ASNT Inspector
Certified Fire Protection Specialist OSHA PSM
NACE Certified Coating Inspector IRCA Auditor
Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator Various Local and Customer-specific
Case Study: NERC Compliance Programs
City of Bryan Municipal Utilities
The City of Bryan, Ohio, electric department’s roots date back to 1896 when the City acquired the town’s electric system from a private utility. The City has been providing affordable, reliable electricity ever since and now serves over 6,000 meters in its service territory.
One of the main sources of generation for the City is the Auglaize Hydroelectric Plant, a 4,740 kW facility, which provides a substantial source of renewable energy to the City’s customers.
As a small municipal utility faced with the challenges of the complex and evolving regulatory landscape, the City’s electric department has turned to ABS Group to provide ongoing NERC compliance management services. In this capacity, ABS Group assists the department with all aspects of its NERC compliance program including reporting, audits, and other compliance tasks.
The City recently renewed its agreement with ABS Group, and we look forward to serving the utility and its customers for the long term.
Case Study: Offshore Wind
Northland Power / RWE Innogy Nordsee One Offshore Wind Project
Northland Power and RWE Innogy have
commenced final engineering and construction of the Nordsee One Offshore Wind Farm, the first phase of what will be the world’s largest offshore wind energy plant when completed. The project will be completed in the North Sea off the German coast, and this first phase will consist of fifty-four (54) wind turbines of approximately 6 MW each for a total capacity of 324 MW.
ABS Group was recently awarded a multi-year services agreement by RWE Innogy to provide quality surveillance services for the project. Under this program, ABS Group will provide overall project quality and inspection services for major equipment, components and subsystems being supplied for the project, including surveillance during manufacturing, pre-assembly, long term storage and harbor works, offshore installation works, and other Owner’s representation services.
This assignment followed a successful earlier project completed by ABS Group for RWE Innogy’s Nordsee Ost Offshore Wind Farm.
Case Study: Enterprise Asset Management
Tucson Electric Power Maximo System Upgrades
Tucson Electric Power is the second largest investor-owned utility in Arizona and serves more than 414,000 customers in the Tucson metropolitan area. TEP operates a diverse fleet of generation and T&D assets. Several years ago, TEP embarked on a multi-year upgrade and enhancement of its
Enterprise Asset Management and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems which ABS Group has supported from the outset.
As part of this modernization program, ABS Group has implemented comprehensive upgrade program for Tucson Electric Power on its Maximo CMMS platform. This project has been developed in phases and ultimately encompassed a large expansion of the CMMS program to Tucson Electric Power’s transmission and distribution operations group. This year, a further expansion to the TEP Sundt
Generating Station is being implemented. The result is a fully modernized and updated CMMS which meets the needs of Tucson Electric Power and its operations teams.
Case Study: Gas Turbine Project Quality Management
Samsung C&T – GMR Jurong Power Plant Project Quality Management
ABS Group recently supported Samsung C&T, the prime EPC contractor for the GMR Jurong Power Plant project in Singapore. The project was completed in 2013 and is comprised of two (2) 400 MW single shaft Siemens combined cycle gas turbine plants. The power plant operates on LNG supplied by the Singapore LNG Corporation. ABS Group served as a third party inspector and provided other surveillance and project quality services to Samsung C&T.
Working as an integrated part of Samsung C&T’s project team, ABS Group provided fabrication surveys of the boilers, pressure vessels, and piping systems, as well as third party inspection of the fabrication, installation, and erection of the HRSGs and auxiliary steam equipment.
Case Study: Power Plant Physical Security
Tennessee Valley Authority Critical Infrastructure Security Program
The Tennessee Valley Authority serves the needs of electric customers across seven states in the southeast United States. With 57 generating facilities including coal, gas turbine, hydroelectric, and nuclear plants, it manages a large and complex operation reliably and safely every day.
ABS Group was selected by TVA to assess physical security across a wide range of facilities in the utility’s portfolio in order to meet TVA, Federal, and NERC physical security requirements for critical infrastructure. Our work has included pre-implementation planning such as defining the access control hierarchy, pilot application of security technology, and program modifications as
necessary. The next phase will be implementation which will deploy the selected security technologies and provide other support to TVA and its
Case Study: Nuclear Risk Services
Confidential Client
ABS Group has served the nuclear industry with risk assessment, mitigation, and management services for over 50 years. We have worked for the majority of the nuclear plant operators in the United States, and a large number of international facilities over the years.
For this client, ABS Group performed a risk
assessment of their nuclear power plant. In a major back-fit project, two additional bunkered systems were required by regulators. ABS Group’s risk analysis showed that one system provided almost the same risk reduction as two systems. This resulted in a significant capital cost reduction for the client without compromising safety and meeting all regulatory requirements.
Case Study: Coal Power Project Quality Management
Shanghai Electric Group – Balingian Coal Power Plant
ABS Group was recently awarded a significant assignment by Shanghai Electric Group who is the prime EPC contractor for Sarawak Energy’s 2 X 300 MW Balingian Coal-fired Power Plant Project near Mukah Town in Malaysia.
The project is now underway and is expected to be commercially operational in 2018. It will utilize indigenous Mukah-Balingian coal resources as its primary fuel source.
ABS Group is providing third party inspection services per Malaysia DOSH requirements. As part of this work, ASME code stamping is required on all power boilers and pressure vessels, and ABS Group is fully accredited to provide this service.
We have supported Shanghai Electric Group on 14 other major power projects during the past 10 years, and are proud to continue our relationship with them on this significant project in the Asia Pacific region.
