Austrian lifting and transport specialist Prangl has dismantled four turbines at the Groß Sierning wind farm in Lower Austria as part of a repowering programme that will replace and remove older units to increase output.
Located next to the Loosdorf exit on the A1 motorway, the site has hosted nine turbines for more than two decades, generating 16.2MW, enough electricity to supply around 8,000 households.
Under the client’s plan, one of the original nine turbines will remain, five will be replaced with higher-capacity units, and the remaining turbines will be removed.
The project aims to deliver 26.5MW from six turbines, supplying around 22,000 households.
Prangl carried out the first dismantling phase in periods of difficult weather and limited machine positioning space.
The company structured the work to minimise downtime by sequencing the removal and transport of large components.
It selected a 700t telescopic crane for high-elevation, double-hook lifts, supported by a 130t auxiliary crane.
A telehandler with a 6t lifting capacity handled site components, while a 3-axle tractor with a 4-axle low-bed semi-trailer transported parts to and from the location.
Each turbine was taken down, starting with the full rotor and hub, which were lowered in one piece.
Using a second attachment on the hub, the 43t rotor was turned to a horizontal position for set-down.
Crews then removed the 51t generator and the 18t nacelle from a height of 85m.
Tower segments followed, lifted from the top down in sections of approximately 21m, weighing two at 44t and two at 60t.
Operations proceeded around cold conditions and snow showers, with high winds occasionally halting lifts.
The wind farm repowering is scheduled for completion by May 2027.
In March, Prangl moved an ÖBB railcar by road from the city harbour in Linz to Mühlkreis station in Linz Urfahr, a distance of about 3km, using a rail vehicle transporter.
The railcar weighed about 58t and measured 25.50m in length, 2.83m in width and 3.80m in height. Prangl used a four-axle lorry with a special nine-axle rail vehicle transporter for the move.
