Power Plant Technical Advisory & Owner’s Engineering
Power Plant Technical Advisory & Owners Engineering.
We bring deep technical expertise across the full asset lifecycle, supporting owners and operators with O&M facility audits, owner’s representation, and engineering services. Our team delivers rigorous design reviews and acceptance testing, alongside on-site quality assurance to ensure performance and compliance. We also specialize in incident troubleshooting, controls upgrades, development engineering, and plant repurposing feasibility studies; providing practical, experience-led solutions that enhance reliability, performance, and long-term asset value.
Owner's Engineer / Owner's Representative
- Independent expert support for disputes, warranty claims, and technical investigations.
- Asset valuation, condition assessments, and remaining useful life evaluations.
- Onsite quality assurance for major maintenance and capital projects, such as control system upgrades.
- Major maintenance monitoring, quality assurance, and project progress oversight.
- Commissioning, startup, performance testing, and acceptance verification.
Engineering Services
- Performance enhancement studies, conversions, modifications, and upgrade feasibility studies.
- Control system conversions, modifications, and upgrades, including turbine controls, Distributed Control Systems (DCS), and PLC upgrades.
- Plant repurposing feasibility studies.
- Development engineering.
O&M facility Audits:
Objective
The objective of the audit is to ensure that key risks related to facility operations and maintenance practices are effectively identified and managed.
The audit identifies areas that may require additional review or remedial action, ensuring the facility maintains the desired level of reliability and availability in a prudent, safe, and economic manner.
The audit may also support improving O&M efficiency.
O&M Audit Methodology
Audits Designed for the Following Technology Types
- Gas Plants – Peaker vs Mid Merit / Base Load
- Coal Plants
- Wind / Solar Facilities
Pre-Audit
Guidance is provided on the information that will be reviewed during the site visit to ensure compliance, including examples of the types of documents that provide sufficient evidence of conformance.
On-Site Audit
The audit is categorized into the following areas, with questions tailored to the technology type and the uniqueness of operating and maintaining such assets.
Audit Categories
| People | Process & Documentation | Methods |
|---|---|---|
| Tools / Equipment | Essential Functions / Work | Parts / Inventory |
The questionnaire is reviewed with the facility team, and an onsite walkdown of the facility is conducted.
A post-audit debrief is held at the site, where all findings or observations are identified and discussed with the facility staff.
Audit Question Design
The questions are designed to ensure that:
- They are relevant to the stated objectives of the audit.
- They provide a reasonable level of diligence.
- They are clear, concise, and non-redundant.
- They are specific to the facility technology under audit.
As part of the risk-based audit approach, any identified material changes may trigger additional questions in the relevant categories.
Post Audit
A rating is applied to each question, along with documented responses, as required, from the facility staff being interviewed.
The scoring criteria used is detailed below.
Scoring Criteria for Operations & Maintenance Audit
| Rating | Description |
|---|---|
| A | Well controlled, with few or no opportunities for improvement found |
| B | Satisfactory, with some control deficiencies requiring improvement |
| C | Not satisfactory, with significant control deficiencies requiring management attention |
Any items rated B or C are categorized into either:
- Audit Finding
- Observation
Type of Finding
Audit Finding
Recommended to be followed up on for completion internally or with support from the audit team.
Items not completed and overdue may be escalated per standard internal audit policies.
Observation
Recommended improvements to be discussed with the site and are not subject to a follow-up process.
Final Audit Report
All audit findings and observations are presented in the final audit report.
Post-report workouts can be facilitated to prioritize actions and develop remediation plans.
Contact Information
Craig Nicholson MBA BEng(Hons) CEng MIMechE
Phone: (470) 551-5175
Email: craig@aimpowerconsulting.com
Website: www.aimpowerconsulting.com