Sarens' scope consisted of replacing one of the blades, with a weight of 17.5 tons and a length of 67.2 meters. The tower itself is 157 meters high.
Since it was commissioned in 2018, Theparak wind farm, located in Nakhon Ratchasima, has become a key part of Thailand's transition to cleaner energy use and achieving Net Zero by 2050, providing electricity to more than 30,000 homes in the region.
The strong winds in the region required close supervision and precise control to avoid excessive movement during the lift, which was carried out only within the permitted wind limits to ensure safety.
Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental services, has been commissioned by its client GE Renewable Energy Thailand to replace a blade at the Theparak wind farm, whose clean energy offsets 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) per year. Since it was commissioned in 2018, this facility, located in Nakhon Ratchasima, has become a key part of Thailand's transition to cleaner energy use and achieving Net Zero by 2050, providing electricity to more than 30,000 homes in the region.
To carry out this work, the first step taken by the Sarens team was to conduct a preliminary study of the site in order to select the right equipment to carry out the work efficiently and in accordance with the strictest safety conditions. The main points taken into account in this exhaustive investigation were crane accessibility, ground bearing capacity, and the lifting sequences.
Following the study, Sarens team selected the SCC8000A crawler crane, with a lifting capacity of 800 tons, opting for the main boom + wind jib configuration. This equipment was chosen due to its high load capacity, given the infrastructure being worked on: wind turbines over 150 meters high.
Sarens' scope consisted of replacing one of the blades, with a weight of 17.5 tons and a length of 67.2 meters. The tower itself is 157 meters high. This involved removing the old blade, then slewing and placing it down. Next, the new blade was lifted and installed in its corresponding position. The total weight of the operation amounted to 41.5 tons.
The main challenges faced by the Sarens team in undertaking this operation were the weather conditions and the workspace itself. Firstly, there was limited space to carry out the lift, with restricted access routes and small working areas, requiring careful planning of equipment transport, traffic control, and positioning to ensure a safe and efficient operation. This, combined with strong winds in the region, required close supervision and precise control to avoid excessive movement during the lift, which was carried out only within the permitted wind limits to ensure safety.
The crane was transported from the Sarens yard to Nakhon Ratchasima in 5 days, requiring 44 trips. Although the crane assembly was challenging due to limited space and site layout constraints, requiring careful sequencing and strict adherence to assembly procedures to ensure safety, it was completed within the planned time frame of 5 days.
Theparak wind farm, located in Huaybong, is the most important wind farm in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, with a higher production than other wind farms such as Lam Takhong (with a capacity of 24 MW). It is also one of the most important in Thailand, although behind parks such as Khao Yai Thiang (100MW), which is why it is considered strategic to achieve the country's objectives of achieving 20% renewable energy in its grid by 2030, according to the country's Power Development Plan (PDP).
Sarens has extensive experience in the lifting, transportation and installation of turbines for windfarms around the world. Also in Belgium, Sarens installed six new wind turbines at the Siemens Gamesa facilities located in the municipalities of Gesves and Ohey. In Belarus, in sub-zero temperatures, Sarens installed the tallest Vestas wind turbines in Asmolovichi. At the Glenn Innes wind farm in New South Wales, Sarens installed the tallest wind turbine towers in Australia.
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 5,000 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/