Manny Morrell

Wind Turbine Loss
A catastrophic crane failure during the construction assembly of a wind turbine led to the total loss of the wind turbine generator. Manny was deployed to the site to investigate property losses to the wind turbine and the associated installation tooling and equipment. Manny provided the damage assessment, advised on reserve estimate, created technical RFIs, and completed an “as-was, where-was” restoration cost analysis for the WTG loss. Manny prepared an initial site visit report and final report based on his team’s findings and analysis and maintained open lines of communication with the insured.

Solar Farm Module Loss
A heavy rain event occurred during the construction of a solar project, causing the failure of large modules that were housed in cardboard containers and exposed to weather elements. Manny deployed an OCI structural engineer on-site to inspect the associated equipment losses. Manny developed a technical RFI and led the investigation of the module packaging for structural defects/abnormalities by analyzing the packaging design and comparing the EPC’s storage, transport, and staging process & protocols to industry norms. As the investigation project lead, Manny communicated directly with the insured and completed an “as-was, where-was” repair cost analysis, including the delivery of an initial site visit report and final report on the investigation.

Wind Turbine Blade Loss – Legal Dispute
A blade staged on the ground sustained moderate damage by a transport vehicle during the construction phase of a wind farm project. The blade was repaired; however, not to industry quality standards. The defective blade was installed by the EPC but subsequently replaced with a new blade leading to a significant claim and dispute between parties. Counsel retained Manny and an OCI blade expert to review prior expert reports and perform an independent analysis to support their expert opinions related to the chain of events, costs, and management decisions surrounding the blade replacement event.

Solar Farm Flood Loss/Inverter Fire Loss
A solar farm experienced a significant flooding event which caused damage to modules, electrical components, and inverters. Manny dispatched an OCI electrical engineer to investigate property damages at the site and begin a root-cause analysis on an inverter that caught fire around the same time as the weather-related event. Manny assisted by providing technical guidance on the claim and assisted the electrical engineer in the RCA, repair cost analysis, and the generation of reports.

Perrin Ranch Wind Farm, Operations, Southwestern US
Spread over 20,000 acres, Perrin Ranch consists of 62 wind turbines valued at $300m with the capacity to generate 99.2 MW of clean energy. As Wind Site Manager, Manny performed hands-on management of the day-to-day operations – administering a $2m budget, including the oversite of administrative and technical team members. Manny routinely leveraged his expertise to coordinate strategic ongoing operational and maintenance costs to critical struggling infrastructure, all the while fostering a safe work environment for his team and promoting a “zero-injury” culture. During his tenure, Manny achieved all company objectives for safety, production, and fiscal responsibility and consistently achieved an aboveaverage Equivalent Availability Factor of 99.0%.

Peetz Table Wind Complex, Operations, Eastern Plains US
Manny was appointed the Regional Site Manager to oversee the operations and maintenance of three wind projects valued over $1 billion with a combined total output of 575 MW in capacity. His key responsibilities included planning and managing over $10 million in spend for five separate operational cost centers. Manny led a team of 30 personnel and supervised the administration of a two-year OEM operational contract. Furthermore, Manny led an ongoing collaboration group of project stakeholders to identify and resolve technology-specific, fleet-wide issues for approximately 1,000 MW worth of Siemens wind power assets. Manny’s senior leadership proved vital as he supervised and administered onsite safety management of GE’s 1.5 MW and Siemens’ 2.3 MW machines – culminating in an Equivalent Availability Factor above 97.5% for all worksites under his purview.

Cedar Ridge Wind Farm, Operations, East North Central US
As Site Operations Manager, Manny performed comprehensive asset management for the company’s first utility-owned 68 MW wind farm, including management of operational daily activities, preparing and overseeing the $5M annual budget, and administering the OEM agreement. Manny directed the execution of various plant start-up initiatives, such as restructuring the company’s internal accounting processes to accurately track costs related to the company’s discrete wind power generation assets. Furthermore, Manny developed and operated the BOP and Turbine Maintenance Program, which, as a result, improved the asset downtime window and long-term reliability of facility equipment. Manny established a safety program and developed the operational & maintenance program in order for the company to self-perform tasks after the equipment warranty period. In addition to Manny’s internal responsibilities, Manny also coled intra-departments outreach programs to increase the company’s relationship with external stakeholders.

Tatanka Wind Farm, Construction, Upper Midwest US
The Tatanka Wind Farm project was the company’s first US-owned wind power plant with the capacity to generate 180 MW of clean, renewable energy. As the company’s Construction Manager of the BOP and Turbine/Supply Erection contracts valued at $380 million, Manny was tasked with overseeing the general contractor and sub-contractors to ensure compliance with the construction schedule & budget, technical scope, and quality workmanship. Manny supervised vendor execution of the delivery, construction, and commissioning of the company’s 1.5 MW wind turbine generators. Manny’s involvement in quality assurance testing and cost oversight resulted in minimal change orders totaling less than 1.5% of the total contract price.

Wind Energy Basics – CE Webinar Series Presentation; May 2022

Wind Energy Construction – CE Webinar Series Presentation; July 2022

Wind Energy Failures, Risk & Claims – CE Webinar Series Presentation; August 2022

Message In a Bottleneck – The Marine Insurer Journal, Issue 14; June 2023

The Claims Experience – Offshore Wind Cable Losses – Panel Moderator; EIA Conference Houston, TX; May 2023