ESB International (ESBI) is a leading global engineering consultancy firm specialising in the utility sector. ESBI invests in, develops, designs, operates, and maintains power stations both nationally and internationally, and also trades electricity in competitive European energy markets.

ESBI have been a regular client of CREST since 2005, particularly in the area of corrosion prevention.

During a remediation programme in ESBI the management team identified technical needs for their engineering staff in the area of coatings and inspections. CREST were approached in 2015 to develop a training plan that would meet these needs. 

A training course in “Protective Coatings” was developed and delivered in 2016 to Senior ESBI Engineers.

The course consisted of an in-class morning session on “Introduction to coating technology and Surface Treatments” followed by an afternoon practical session.

Current ESBI coating systems were used during the course of the training session and the participants were trained to evaluate and assess their suitability on pristine, contaminated, and badly corroded surfaces. The coating challenges used were designed to mimic those experienced in the field. The participants were introduced to a range of surface treatments and coating technologies.

A company visit to Galco Steel was also included. Galco treats products from Irish companies, such as Meath Metals, that are eventually used by ESBI.

On completion of the training course the participants were confident that they could specify suitable coating materials and identify and treat localised corrosion failures before they would require substantial remediation.

Testimonial

"This training has added another level of expertise for the ESBI senior engineers from Asset Management Services and HV Design; they can quickly identify suitable coatings, failures and potential treatments during the course of their work, both during the asset lifetime on-site and feeding back to the design and specification stage."

Stewart Flood