Heavy haulage specialist Collett has become the first company in the UK to use a blade lifter to transport wind turbine blades.
Working in partnership with P. Adams Transport, Collett has been appointed to manage and transport all wind turbine components for Windy Rig wind farm located in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.
Windy Rig is owned by Norwegian developer Statkraft and will consist of 12 Vestas V112 turbines when fully constructed.
Utilising its Super Wing Carriers, Collett transported the 55-metre-long blades during night time deliveries from the Port of Ayr to a transition point located 18km from the main wind farm site.
The blades were then transferred onto the Blade Lifter operated by P. Adams for the final part of the journey.
In contrast to the Super Wing Carrier which places the blades on the deck on the trailer, the Blade Lifter mounts the blade horizontally on to the module.
Using its hydraulic lifting system, the blade can be tilted to an angle of up to 60°, avoiding the need for extensive civil engineering works which is potentially expensive in both time and costs.
Additionally, the use of the Blade Lifter enabled the planning consent of the windfarm without the need for third party land and the associated potential risks and costs.
All component deliveries are underway and are expected to be completed later this year.