The 400t (440 US ton) 16000 was delivered late in 2005 and sent immediately to the wind turbine jobsite, close to the city of St. Leon, Manitoba, Canada, where it worked for a number of months for Canadian contractor HB White Canada, a subsidiary of White Construction USA, based in Clinton, Indiana, US.
Manitowoc Crane CARE engineers were present to ensure assembly went smoothly on the Manitoba jobsite. The 16000 erected a total of eight 80m (262ft) tall wind turbine generators, each weighing 227t (250 US ton) in total. The heaviest lift was the wind turbines’ 46t (51 US ton) nacelle.
In order to erect the towers, the 16000 was configured with 205t (226 US ton) of counterweight, an 89m (295ft) boom, plus an additional 7m (23ft) of extended upper boom point.
Jim McDonald, project manager at White Construction USA, said: “I heard many good reports about the Model 16000, and was pleased to find out for myself what a great all-round machine it is.”
He added: “It has worked productively, without a minute of downtime, and has definitely exceeded our expectations.”
Total cost of the wind farm amounts to Can$187million (US$161m). When operational, the turbines will provide 99MW of electricity – enough to power 35,000 homes. The project’s main contractor, HB White Canada, has been so pleased with the 16000’s performance in Manitoba that it has selected 16000 cranes for future wind farm work in Ontario, Canada.
JPW Riggers, meanwhile, has received numerous requests for its own model 16000’s services to such an extent that the company has placed an order for a new unit, which will be delivered in October 2006.
