Mammoet Participates in Constructing the World’s 1st Floating Wind Farm

Mammoet recently completed the assembly of the first five test turbines that will be used at Hywind Scotland Pilot Park, the world’s first floating wind farm situated at Buchan Deep, 25 kilometers off the east coast of Scotland. The turbines were assembled at the NorSea Group’s Stordbase yard at Stord, Norway. Mammoet was contracted by NorSea Group AS for the lifting and transport operations conducted onshore at the yard.

Expertise in turbine assembly

Apart from the lifting and transport activities needed to assemble the five turbines Mammoet was also hired for their specific turbine assembly expertise, says Mammoet’s Project Manager Tom Braakman. “We were responsible for the engineering drawings and the transport drawings, and provided NorSea Group with advice on lifting strategies and planning, resulting in a smooth assembly.”

Lifting more efficiently

Through this advisory role, Mammoet was able to make a significant difference, Director Project Sales Europe Tom Rutgrink adds. “Initial estimates showed that the client would need a 1350 ton crawler crane to lift the components. Based on our expertise we were able to come up with an approach that would only require a 1100 ton crane, allowing us to do the job much more efficiently.”

Assembly

Each of the 6 MW wind turbines had been shipped to Stord in 9 separate components. At the yard, Mammoet assembled them using an LR 11000 crawler crane as main crane and 24 axle lines of SPMTs. When the assembly and outfitting was completed, a Crane Vessel transported the 1150 ton assembled turbines to the floating foundation in the fjord. After the turbines have been installed on the foundations and finally prepared, they will be towed across the North Sea to their final destination.

Hywind

The Hywind Scotland Pilot Park is a 30 MW wind turbine farm located 25 kilometers off the coast of Scotland. The park – which will generate enough to power to light up approximately 20,000 households- will stretch over approximately 4 square kilometers, at a water depth of 95-120 meters.