Mammoet transports wind turbine prototype

International heavy lift and transport specialist Mammoet has completed the transportation of a wind energy prototype for a repowering project at the Drantum II wind energy site near Drantum, Denmark.

According to Mammoet it was tasked by wind energy consortium Uhre Wind Power to remove an old wind turbine from the site and move a prototype replacement into position. The prototype turbine was the new Siemens SWT-3.15-142 with lightweight carbon blades designed for sites with low wind speeds. Its blades are 69 metres long and the turbines have a hub height of 165 metres.

Prior to the job, Mammoet says it carefully studied the transport drawings and discovered that the prototype’s blades could become unstable during transportation. To solve this problem it designed two custom-built support frames to keep the structural integrity of the blades intact. Another challenge came in the form of the unloading area, says Mammoet. There was limited space in the laydown area, which meant that not all components could be delivered in advance. Several loads were therefore transported directly to the crane during both de-rigging of the old turbine and the installation of the new prototype, Mammoet explained.

Despite the challenges, the project was delivered on schedule, Mammoet stated.