UTC Overseas has played a key role in the construction of the Baltic Power offshore wind farm, transporting oversized electrical equipment for the construction of an onshore transformer station.
The project took place over six months with meticulous preparation, including route analyses, administrative approvals, and technical design. It started with delivery of components at the port of Gdynia in Poland, where transformers and shunt reactors were reloaded from a deep-sea vessel to a oceangoing barge, which headed to the port of Władysławowo. There, the cargoes were stored and reloaded for road transport. The operation ended with the final delivery and installation at the transformer station construction site in Osieki Lęborskie.
Transport took roughly three weeks and involved moving various oversized and overweight components, including four transformers, four shunt reactors, and 180 general cargo units with a combined weight of 250 tonnes.
The oversized dimensions and heavy weight of the transformers and shunt reactors presented substantial challenges. The complex project required UTC to navigate public roads; dismantle power and telecommunication lines and road signs; fell trees on the route; restore infrastructure once the convoy passed; and safeguard infrastructure by constructing temporary fly-over bridges.
UTC also adapted a ramp design to facilitate ro-ro operations at the port of Władysławowo, which is typically unsuitable for unloading deepsea vessels. This was a first in the region, said UTC.
Lidar technology provided precise 3D laser scanning to ensure route feasibility. A 76.2 m x 24.38 m x 4.88 m barge with a deadweight of 5,500 tonnes was chartered to navigate the sea route from Gdynia to Władysławowo.
Moreover, two fly-over bridges were set in place on the road route to protect existing infrastructure. Two 14-axle line three-file SPMT transport units were used to move the transformers on public roads, and two portable cranes with lifting capacities of 1,000 tonnes and 600 tonnes were used for loading and unloading.
A pair of 12-axle two-file Scheuerle modular trailers moved the shunt reactors across public roads while 30 standard sets transported general cargo shipments.
UTC’s entire Poland team was involved in the project along with many subcontractors. Regular meetings were held with all stakeholders to ensure seamless execution, mitigate risks, overcome challenges, and monitor budgets and timelines.
Completion of this wind farm is expected in 2026.
