– Responsible for ensuring delivery of power from one of Europe’s largest offshore wind farms
– After transferring from an industrial background, Kerry urges others to join the renewables revolution.
A former Grimsby pupil and time-served apprentice will head-up operations and power generation at one of the largest offshore wind farms in Europe, once it has been built off the coast of Lincolnshire.
Kerry Monument, who originally trained as an apprentice at a local structural, mechanical and electrical engineering company, is preparing to take charge of the day-to-day operations of innogy’s 857 megawatts (MW) Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm once the project has been commissioned in 2021, and will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of wind-powered electricity to over 800,000 UK homes.
Kerry Monument, innogy’s new Operations Manager for Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm, said: “It’s a huge responsibility, ensuring the generation of renewable electricity for so many homes. But I’m absolutely delighted to have been selected for this role, and to be able to take responsibility for such a nationally important infrastructure project right on my own doorstep.
“I worked in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical and water industries for many years before transferring to renewables, and since then have set up numerous offshore wind farm operational teams and sites. This sector is always growing, and what this industry has demonstrated to me is its huge potential to drive real investment into coastal communities like Grimsby and the Humber region. Since I’ve been in renewables, I’ve never had to look for another job. You know that the continuity of work is there, and that’s not something that many other industries can offer.”
Triton Knoll is now in construction onshore, and will begin offshore construction in early 2020 with the installation of 90 monopile foundations and turbines, two offshore substations and miles of undersea cabling. It will begin delivering its first wind-powered electricity in 2021 and once fully constructed Kerry and his team will take over the day to day operations of the entire site from a new operations & maintenance base which is expected to be constructed at Grimsby’s Royal Dock.
Triton Knoll project director Julian Garnsey, added: “I’m delighted to have Kerry on-board and able to prepare for operations from his home town of Grimsby, once our O&M base and the project are complete. The Sector Deal between government and this industry sets out the huge potential of offshore wind to create up to 27,000 high skilled jobs in UK coastal communities. We are delighted to mark the start of innogy’s contribution to this with Kerry’s appointment, and we are looking to have up to 20 technicians in post by the end of this year, ready to support our new O&M base in Grimsby. So, we’re looking forward to welcoming more local people on board as our project develops.”
Kerry’s route into renewables
Kerry first entered the renewables industry after spotting and successfully applying for a job as a wind turbine technician. With his earlier background in heavy industry and mechanical electrical engineering, he said a transfer into the new technology was relatively straight forward.
Having previously worked on a number of major offshore projects across the UK and Europe, Kerry is now highly experienced and keen to encourage others to give serious thought to opportunities within the offshore wind sector, which is now one of the strongest growth industries in the UK.
He said that from his previous roles, and from setting-up operations and maintenance teams for offshore wind farm sites, he’s seen first-hand how transferable some skills from different sectors can be. In terms of long term prospects, he added that renewables was a great place to look.
“Opportunities in renewables are immense. Look at what’s happening abroad in the United States for example. The industry there is growing exponentially and they will need people with the skills and knowledge to deliver that industry. Where are they going to find that? The only place that has that level of experience and expertise is the UK,” said Kerry.
Triton Knoll will consist of 90 MHI Vestas turbines, each with a maximum installed capacity of 9.5megawatts (MW). innogy is managing the construction of the 857MW offshore giant on behalf of its three way partnership with J-Power and Kansai Electric Power.