Innovation
PROJECT SCOPE:
The Murra Warra (Stage 1) Wind Farm consisted of 61 Senvion 3.7M144 wind turbine generators, situated in north-western Victoria. ARES transported all wind turbine components from the Port of Portland to site, a distance of 259km one way.
Transported all components for 61 Senvion turbines from the Port of Portland to Murra Warra Stage 1 in northwestern Victoria. The 16-month program covered a 259-kilometre route and included components of unprecedented size for the Australian wind industry.
Detailed planning guided 71-metre blades through Nhill, while custom bookend trailers enabled 5.8-metre tower sections to travel safely beneath overhead infrastructure. Flexible project management kept deliveries moving across 26 vessel arrivals and through a major contractor transition.
The 71-metre turbine blades were the longest transported in Australia at the time. Their size required careful planning and community consultation to navigate through the centre of Nhill with minimal disruption.
Measuring 5.8 metres in diameter, the base tower sections occupied almost two lanes on regional roads. Their height also required numerous overhead power lines to be lifted before transport could proceed safely.
Specially designed bookend trailers lowered the transport height of the tower sections and reduced conflicts with overhead infrastructure. Adjustable connections accommodated multiple flange sizes, while the system supported tower sections weighing up to 80 tonnes.
Cargo Carried
The Senvion “Hercules” turbine lived up to its name, able to produce 3.7MW from its 144m-diameter rotor.
The previous record of 67.2m was only set a few months before – showing the rapid pace of technological progress.
The journey took around 6 hours, with trucks able to be offloaded and return to port on the same day.
These include turbine components, towers, blades, transformers and containerised cargo.
The can-do attitude of Ares was unparalleled in the industry. Importantly, it was Ares’ foresight and innovation which brought these projects to completion. A key feature during execution were the bookend trailers safely utilised at Murra Warra. These trailers were specially designed and developed by Ares and partners to transport the largest tower sections ever seen in the Australian wind industry, being 6m in diameter.