May 9 - ALE is close to finishing a major contract for the transportation, lifting and installation of 24 x 2.5 MW turbines on a project site in Khao Kho and another 30 x 2.5 MW turbines at Watabak, Thailand.
The specialist heavy transport and engineering company received the first shipment of components in October last year and has since installed 14 turbines. All components are expected to be delivered this month and the installation project will complete in June. The second wind energy project in Watabak involving 30 turbines will commence around mid-May.
ALE has taken delivery of the various components from the vessels in several shipments over three months, before offloading and transporting them into a temporary storage facility at the Port of Laem Chabang in Chonburi province, Thailand.
ALE is also responsible for transporting the components 620 km to the site location, offloading and erecting the turbines, and finally the mechanical and electrical installation of all the components, before handing them over to the client for the final commissioning.
ALE's senior project manager, Keith Crowther, said: "This contract highlights our growing presence in Southeast Asia's wind energy sector.
"As the towers grow higher and the diameter of the rotors increase to maximise the yield, we are investing in the latest technology to ensure that we can meet our clients' demands. We have invested heavily into this project and for future projects within the wind sector. We have employed 70 new members of staff and ordered new cranes, trucks, blade trailers, specialist tower transporters and extendable trailers to complement the equipment already in Thailand."
