In the fast growing service market in the Netherlands, WTS Wind Turbine Service is an important party that can provide support for the placement, management and maintenance of wind turbines.
In case of complex rotor blade problems, NGup services are utilised. We have interviewed Rik Diederiks, Owner/Director of WTS, to find out more.

Can you tell us something about your background?
I studied electrotechnics and worked for 5 years in the hydrographical service of the Royal Dutch Navy.
After working for an electrical contractor for a year, I began working for Windmaster Nederland in 1991.
This is a Belgian company that had many projects in the Netherlands and had, therefore, established a branch, that employed 35 people. It was an interesting market, and I was a commissioning engineer involved in the deployment of what was, at the time, the largest wind farm in Europe. Fifty 300kW turbines were placed near the Westermeerdijk in Urk. I remember that bus loads full of people came to have a look at that farm.

What is WTS doing now?
We are still into service activities, of course.
The Windmasters are still operational 22 years later and require good maintenance. Naturally, after so many years the blades also require care and that is where we hire NGup’s services. We are also specialised in Negmicon turbines.
We perform preventive and corrective maintenance. Preventive maintenance consists of activities as described by the manufacturer, for instance, lubricating bearings, checking oil levels and hydraulic components. Once or twice a year, we enter the turbine for maintenance and check-ups.
We deal with long term clients who like to have maintenance performed on a contractual basis. Besides the service activities, we have a monitoring system that we set up for management purposes. We also help various parties with the deployment of wind farms in Eastern Europe. We are active in Bulgaria, Romania, Canada and the US.

And the future?
Market developments in the area of sustainable energy are good. This is especially true for the wind energy market. The credit crisis does not affect us. This is because we work on the basis of long term contracts and now more than ever, it is very important that the wind turbines continue to function without interruption and therefore, generate money. We expect to be growing at a rate of approximately 20% per year. Besides service activities, we also want to do more management. For instance, we are successfully offering our remote management system to countries such as India, Bulgaria, Canada and the US. A fast growing market always needs high quality products, work and people.