One of the first wind turbines to be installed as part of round one of the Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) came on line last month at the Metrowind Van Stadens wind farm, near Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape.

The Sinovel SL3000 3 MW wind turbine was completed after two weeks of assembly. It required the largest crane ever used in South Africa, the Terex TC 2800, which has a lifting capacity of 800 t and is the only crane that can reach the height of the wind towers and carry the weight of the nacelles, hubs and blades.

“The assembly of the wind tower is not complicated, but it is a challenge to ensure that the logistics, planning, engineering and tim-ing come together,” says lead engineering, procurement and construction contractor Basil Read Matomo engineering manager for energy Evan Jones.

All tower lifts are a tandem lift and require two cranes. One section is lowered onto the other before the bolt-torqueing process, which is done with specialised calibrated equipment at high pressure.

After the tower construction, the assembly of the more complicated nacelle and hub section is done. The hub and blades are collectively known as the rotor. The planning and execution of the rotor lift must be precise to ensure that the 70 t, 113-m-diameter rotor is lifted properly.

The Terex TC 2800 crane was imported from Poland earlier this year to facilitate the lifting of the 120 t nacelle. It took 56 trucks to transport the crane to site and moving it from one turbine site to the next takes a few days.

Another eight wind turbines will be assembled at the wind farm in the coming two months.

“South Africa is in a unique position to leapfrog technologically with the construction of the national wind farm projects comprising the 3 MW wind turbines, instead of the older 1.5 MW wind turbines. We are also working with consultants from Spain, Italy and China to ensure the installation is efficient and safe,” says Jones.

The Metrowind Van Stadens wind farm will be the first of eight wind farm to come on line as part of round one of the REIPPPP.

Basil Read Matomo was awarded the R475-million contract last year. The 27 MW wind farm will comprise nine turbines and is expected to produce 80 000 MWh/y, with installation to be completed by October, followed by commissioning.