Collett has completed the delivery of 50 Nordex N133 wind turbines to South Kyle Wind Farm. Under construction by Swedish multi-national power generation company Vattenfall, South Kyle’s 50-turbine site is the company’s largest onshore wind farm in the U.K. in terms of power generation.
Appointed to undertake the delivery of the 450 components required to construct the 50 84-meter height Nordex N133 turbines, both the Port of Ayr and King George V Dock were used to store and handle components.
The heavier of the components, namely the 68-ton nacelles, 73-ton drive trains, and the 63-ton hubs, arrived at King George V Dock, with the lighter components, including the 18-ton blades and the 150 individual tower sections, arriving at the Port of Ayr. At both ports, each of the components was discharged from the vessel to a precise laydown plan, allowing Collett Team to access each in line with the wind farm’s construction schedule.
With a combination of 6-axle trailers, 7-axle trailers, 8-axle trailers, 2x tower transporter clamp trailers, and 3x super wing carriers from across the Collett fleet, the team transported the components to site, approximately five kilometers east of Dalmellington town. On site, Collett had an additional team to undertake tower transport operations across the 50-turbine site, delivering each tower section to its respective crane pads in time for installation service.
With six heavy haulage tractor units and six steersman/escort vehicles in operation throughout, each of the 67, 48, and 50 ton tower sections, along with the 65-meter blades traveled in overnight convoys to minimize road traffic congestion from both ports and in surrounding areas.
Traveling under Police Scotland and Collett private escort from both ports of entry, Collett planned and executed 450 abnormal load movements. Operating seven days a week (as required), and with police escort resources high in demand and low in frequency, Collett requested double runs in order to maximize deliveries with the limited resources available. The team alternated between tower convoys, blades, and nacelle sets per demand required on site, until all 450 wind turbine components were successfully delivered.
Over the course of the project, Collett handled and transported 150 tower sections, 50 nacelles, 50 hubs, 50 drive trains, and 150 blades to South Kyle Wind Farm.
Expected to be operational in 2023, the 50 Nordex N133 turbines feature a 133.2-meter rotor with a swept area of 13,935 square meters. With a capacity of 240 MW, South Kyle Wind Farm is expected to generate enough electricity to meet the demands of about 170,000 homes annually, while offsetting up to 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
More info www.collett.co.uk
