Collett uses Blade Lifter in UK

Working in partnership with P. Adams Transport, Collett has been appointed to manage and transport all wind turbine components for the wind farm located in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. When fully constructed, the Windy Rig wind farm will comprise 12 Vestas V112 turbines. This turbine model has 55m-long blades and 69m hub height.

Blades are delivered to the Port of Ayr, while all remaining components to King George V Dock in Glasgow. Utilising its Nooteboom Super Wing Carriers, Collett transports the 55m-long blades during the night time from the Port of Ayr to a transition point located 18km from the main wind farm site. The blades are then transferred onto the Goldhofer Blade Lifter operated by P. Adams for the final part of the journey.

In contrast to the Super Wing Carrier, which places the blades on the deck of the trailer, the Blade Lifter mounts the blade horizontally onto the module. Using its hydraulic lifting system, the blade can be tilted to an angle of up to 60°.  Collett said through the use of this system, extensive civil engineering works were avoided.

“Additionally, the use of the Blade Lifter enabled the planning consent of the windfarm without the need for third party land and the associated potential risks and costs,” said the heavy haulage specialist. “Even so, due to the wind farms challenging site access, the use of the Blade Lifter reduced the amount of required ‘oversail’ by a combination of the tilting of the blade and the manoeuvrability of the self-propelled module.”

The remaining components are delivered utilising Collett’s fleet of specialist trailers. The tower sections, longest measuring 30m and the heaviest weighing 55t, are transported using specialised tower clamp trailers. For the transportation of the nacelles and drive trains, weighing 64t and 61t respectively, multi-axle low bed trailers are being used.

All component deliveries are underway and are expected to be completed later this year.