As part of the project, Sarens installed the largest rotor assembly ever lifted in Canada.
Since July of 2020, Sarens has been on-site in remote Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Canada, installing 50 wind turbines as part of the Potentia Renewables Golden South Wind Energy Facility. For this project, Sarens collaborated with client Borea Construction to lift the largest rotor assembly ever lifted in Canada to date. Installing the rotor assembly, which measures 155 m in diameter, required careful engineering, site planning, and preparation to ensure a smooth operation.
Each wind turbine at the energy facility has a 110-m hub height, and for the heaviest lift, the crane was configured to lift 114 tonnes with a 126 m height and 26 m radius. For this operation, Sarens used an optimal configuration of main cranes, offload cranes, and tail cranes:
- Main cranes: LR1600 and CC2800
- LR1600 HSL2DB 126m
- CC2800 SSL/LSL+SGL_S7 126m
- Offload Cranes: AC500 and LTM1400
- Tail Cranes: LR1280, LR1200, M14000 and LTM 1130
Borea Construction provided rigging, with each main crane rigged-down and rigged up at the next pad within two days. To stay on schedule, crews had to ensure each site was rigged down in a timely manner.
Sarens is proud to have been a part of this operation, which was not without its challenges. The job site, for example, was in a remote location, nearly 200 kilometres away from the nearest city and 800 kilometres from the Sarens depot. Summer temperatures reached a blistering 30° C before plunging to -35° C in winter. Furthermore, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic presented unique challenges in ensuring all staff and crew remained safe while onsite.
