Lloyd’s Register EMEA has certified ScottishPower Energy Wholesale Ltd against the revised version of BSI Publicly Available Specification 55 (PAS 55-1:2008) following a stringent process of assessment which benchmarks best practice in asset management. The company is the first power generator to be certified.
PAS 55, originally published in May 2004, was the first Publicly Available Specification for the optimal management of physical assets. PAS 55 has been implemented within a variety of industry sectors spanning public utilities, gas storage and transportation, rail, oil and gas exploration and extraction and now power generation.
Tim Walsh, General Manager at Lloyd’s Register EMEA presented the certificate to John Campbell, Energy Wholesale Director, and Frank Mitchell, Generation Director, from ScottishPower at their annual Energy Wholesale Conference, which was held at the Inchyra Grange Hotel, Falkirk.
The standard has recently been updated and the Lloyd’s Register Group has maintained its position as the global leader in PAS 55 certification services through its continued engagement with the ongoing development of the specification as well as the roll out of revised training courses and assessment processes to meet the requirements of the revised PAS 55:2008.
John Campbell, Director of Energy Wholesale at ScottishPower, said “It is a major achievement to become Lloyd’s Register’s first power generator to be awarded certification for PAS 55. This is the standard that regulators believe all power generators should aspire to.” John highlighted, “Competent asset management is essential for our organisation, and this endorsement highlights how seriously we take our responsibilities. The Lloyd’s Register assessment process has tested us from our senior management team to all of our engineers on the ground. Now that we have achieved this benchmark, we will continue to work hard to maintain these high standards.”
Presenting their certificate, Tim Walsh from Lloyd’s Register EMEA said: “We would like to congratulate ScottishPower Energy Wholesale Ltd on this achievement.” Walsh continued, “Your PAS 55 team have worked extremely hard in order to be ready for the assessment and have successfully ensured that all necessary arrangements have been in place. Our assessment team led by Peter Glaholm, Managing Surveyor of the Lloyd’s Register Utilities Schemes, were impressed by the processes and procedures that have been introduced. Throughout the certification process your staff showed dedication to achieving a world class asset management system.”
ScottishPower chose Lloyd’s Register EMEA as the auditor for certifying its asset management systems because of its robust approach to certification and its leading role in the development of the PAS 55 certification. The certification reinforces the Lloyd’s Register Group as the world leader in PAS 55 certification across several business sectors. It follows other certifications in the power, water, gas and rail industries in Europe, North America and Asia.
Notes to editors
Lloyd’s Register is an independent risk management organisation. The Lloyd’s Register Group works to help improve its clients’ quality, safety, environmental and business performance throughout the world, because life matters. Its expertise and activities cover shipping, railways, other asset-based industries and oil and gas. The Group comprises charities and non-charitable companies, with the latter supporting the charities in their main public benefit goal. The Lloyd’s Register Group has an impressive track record in verification and related activities. The PAS 55-1 certificate was awarded to ScottishPower by Lloyd’s Register Verification Ltd., a member of the Lloyd’s Register Group.
The Lloyd’s Register Group used its worldwide experience of management systems and asset management expertise in a variety of industries to support the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) in the development of PAS 55. Published by the British Standards Institution (BSI), PAS 55 is a leading management systems framework upon which effective asset management strategies can be based. It was developed as a quality benchmark for management practices in asset-intensive industries such as power, oil and gas and transportation. Many organisations are adopting the PAS 55-1 principles to increase the confidence of regulators and shareholders in their management activities. PAS 55 is strongly encouraged by regulatory bodies such as Ofgem (UK), Dte (Netherlands), ORR and OPPPA (UK) for its ability to provide assurance to wider stakeholders that risks associated with complex asset systems are being appropriately managed. The Lloyd’s Register Group has seen considerable interest from organisations around the world seeking to develop their asset management systems to be compliant with PAS 55 and has carried out verification activities in many sectors, including rail, electricity and gas. It has also seen interest from regulators, and national and local governments.
ScottishPower Energy Wholesale has responsibility for operating and maintaining 6,400MW of generation. Generation is organised around the physical assets – primarily coal, gas and hydro-electric power stations. This includes Scotland’s largest coal-fired power station at Longannet which has an output of 2,400MW.
An image of the certificate award ceremony is available from news@lr.org
Media Information: Paul Ferguson, 0141 566 4515 / 07702 665 924
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