In operation since 1996, Since its creation in 1982 as a provider of specialized technical services to the petrochemical sector in Spain, Global Energy Services (GES) has become a world-class service group providing their service to wind, solar and conventional energy industries.
“By the early 1990s when renewable energy was emerging in Europe as a main source of energy, GES was perfectly positioned to provide operations, maintenance and construction services to the market,” said John Plantier, business development director of GES.
In 1992, Gamesa acquired the Spanish company to fill its need for a dedicated service provider, and in 2006, the division was sold to 3i and renamed Global Energy Services, an independent entity specializing in engineering, construction, installation, commissioning and the operations and maintenance for wind and solar farms.
“Our first construction project was in Graham, Texas, which consisted of 60 wind turbines, totaling 120 MW’s known as the Barton Chapel Project. That project helped establish our place in the US wind market and since then we have provided services for over 4,100 MW’s in the U.S.”
In 2008 when the wind construction market declined, GES-USA turned its focus to the operations and maintenance sector and solar industry allowing the company to retain its talented construction group until the market returned. “We are now at the top of the list for O&M service providers in the U.S. with over 1,500 MW’s under contract. That is tremendous growth in such a short term in a new market. We’ve installed over 30 MW’s since 2008 and our pipeline is extremely healthy.” he said.
Plantier says GES’ established reputation in Europe and U.S. coupled with a thriving customer base allows the company to enter into emerging renewable energy markets. This year GES will finalize construction of wind and solar projects Chile and Puerto Rico, and the Canadian market last year. In addition, GES was recently awarded the Istmeno Wind Project in Mexico consisting of 215 MW’s, the largest wind project in Latin America. “We started work in Latin America, Puerto Rico, and Canada because we are a versatile and we have experience working in various countries,” he said.
With 150 employees in the U.S., GES has expanded its territory to California, Washington, Texas, Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, South Dakota, New York, Ohio, Maine, Wyoming, Montana, Delaware, West Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
“Our key focus isn’t necessarily to be the largest services provider, but we want to be the best.”
In order to provide the best service, GES operates facilities in different regions of the country. In the United States the company operates a warehouse and training center in Abilene, Texas, where technicians are required to complete extensive in-house orientation courses on health and safety and basic turbine knowledge.
“Our training regiment involves electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic theory, along with technology specific questions. The class room and online training coupled with the OJT helps create an extremely talented group of technicians,” Plantier said.
On a global scale, GES has more than 4,000 employees, performed Balance of Plant services on more than 9 GW’s, installation services of over 16 GW’s, and provides O&M services for over 12 GW’s.
“I think it’s often misunderstood as to how large we really are, but we operate in 20 different countries, providing services for the largest turbine manufacturers and utilities in the market place like Gamesa, Vestas, Gestamp, ENEL, EDP Renewables, Eon, Iberdrola, Siemens, Repower, Clipper and others.”
As GES continues to expand its client base, it is currently building the Punta Lima Wind Farm for Gestamp Renewables. The wind project will be 23.4 MW at completion consisting of 13 Vestas 1.8 MW wind turbine generators. The project involves constructing roads, WTG foundations, crane pad and laydown areas adjacent to each turbine site and installation and testing of 34.5kV collection and grounding systems in addition to building the 34.5/115kV substations, the O&M building, and the 115kV transmission line. Work is expected to be complete in July.
However, wind is not the only activity that GES is involved in Puerto Rico. In addition to the Punta Lima Wind Farm, GES is constructing the Ilumina Project, the largest PV solar farm in Puerto Rico for AES-Solar consisting of 23 MW’s.
To learn more:
For more information about Global Energy Services, visit www.ges-usa.com or call 1-610-940-6088.
