Logistics outfit Collett & Sons has completed delivery of two 180-tonne super grid transformers to the onshore substation for EDF and ESB’s 400MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm off Scotland.
Collett were appointed to provide a door-to-door service for both super grid transformers.
The units were shipped into the Port of Sunderland in north-east England and discharged from the vessel using a 550-tonne strut crane onto the company’s 14-row flat top trailers.
Collett’s projects department chartered a Terra Marique ro/ro barge for the second stage of the transportation.
Utilising the vessel’s hydraulic roadway, each of the loaded trailers were driven onto the vessel and secured for the onward 20-hour voyage to the jetty at EDF UK’s Torness power station in East Lothain, Scotland.
On arrival, Collett undertook the transport operations, with the transformers having been rolled from the vessel on day one of this stage of the operation.
Both units were then transported out of the power station on consecutive days for the 8km trip to the onshore substation site.
Collett travelled under private escort and with road closures in place on the A1 between 6am and 6:30am to the Innerwick junction.
Here, with the permission of East Lothian Council and under a traffic management plan, both transformers were transported with rolling road closures on the minor roads to facilitate safe passage to site.
The trailers departed Torness and transited the A1 under the pull of a single eight by four tractor unit.
On reaching the Innerwick junction, Collett added a second tractor unit at the rear providing additional traction, travelling in a push/pull formation.
This formation was then strengthened on final approach with a third tractor unit to the construction site.
Having delivered the super grid transformers to the substation site, both were offloaded and installed onto their respective bunds by Collett Heavy Lift, using specialist hydraulic jacking and skidding equipment.