This onshore wind farm, located south of Stow in the Scottish Borders and inaugurated in 2009, has 19 turbines with a production capacity of 38 MW.
Sarens has actively collaborated in the maintenance of the turbine drive trains, thus contributing to maintaining stable energy production at the facility and avoiding, through preventive maintenance, shutdowns and breakdowns.
The Longpark onshore wind farm, located in the south of Stow in the Scottish borders, has recently undergone preventive and corrective maintenance work on its wind turbines to guarantee the renewable electricity supply already enjoyed by more than 22,000 homes in the region. Inaugurated in 2009, these facilities have 19 Senvion MM82/2050 turbines with an energy production capacity of 38 MW.
Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental, and one of the largest specialists in the installation and maintenance of onshore and offshore wind farms, has actively collaborated in these maintenance tasks on behalf of EDF Energy in the dismantling and replacement of the turbine drive trains.
To do so, Sarens brought an LTM1500-8.1 crane unit and a Demag AC220-5 including rehired additional plant equipment, such as towerlights, telehandler and hook, man basket and a mobile welfare unit to the site. Thanks to this equipment, the Sarens engineering team was able to plan the tandem lift operations for the removal of the rotor assembly from the turbine, and subsequently reorient and position the assembly on the crane pad. Finally, the removal and replacement of redundant drive train was performed.
These maintenance tasks, considered strategic to keep in line with the Scottish Government's strategy to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions, were a major challenge for the Sarens engineering team, which had to carry out a thorough field survey to correctly position the crane pad to accommodate both cranes and ensure the stability and efficiency of the delivery transport tasks.
In addition, because the orography of the area where the wind farm is located is particularly steep, Sarens used certain additional elements to avoid civil works, thus incurring additional costs for the client. The engineering team on site raised the rotor assembly by utilizing timber mats to raise the component above adjacent gradients in the landscape.
As a sign of Sarens' commitment to the development and maintenance of wind farms in the UK, the company has recently announced the addition of a Liebherr LG1750 750-ton mobile crane to its fleet in the country. This unit, in addition to the crawler cranes and mobile cranes already dedicated to this sector, will reinforce its leadership position in its crane rental, heavy lifting and engineered transport services, with the development of wind energy projects as one of its key growth markets.
Sarens has extensive experience in the UK energy sector. In addition to recent work in the Hinkley Point C power station using the Big Carl, its most advanced crane and the largest in its repertoire, Sarens has also been able to contribute to projects such as the one carried out at the Fawley refinery, where it used a mobile lifting gantry capable of lifting loads of up to 1,250 tons for its clients Fluor and ExxonMobil.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/