Yandin Wind Farm

Need some of the largest wind
cargo ever seen in Australia, for the
largest wind farm in Western Australia?
Challenge accepted.

The Yandin Wind Farm consisted of 51 Vestas V150 4.2MW wind turbine generators, situated in Western Australia. ARES transported all wind turbine components from the Port of Henderson south of Perth to site, a distance of 220km one way.

Reaching new levels of efficiency.

ARES were tasked with receiving and delivering two WA wind projects at once – Yandin and also Warradarge Wind Farm, a total of 102 wind turbines. In order to handle the large volume of components coming into and going out of the Port, ARES deployed two brand new 70T reach stackers for loading operations.

The reach stackers, having great visibility and manoeuvrability, and able to relocate quickly compared with a traditional crane, proved invaluable in keeping up with the high run rate of the two combined projects, whilst managing to assist with receiving cargo from ships as well.

Largest Blade Transported in Australia.

The blades for the Vestas V150 turbine were the longest ever transported in Australia at the time, measuring 74 metres in length.

These monster blades had to be brought through Perth’s motorway network in the middle of the night in convoys of three, usually departing around midnight and reaching site by around sunrise.  All work was done in close consultation with Main Roads WA and loads were escorted by police.

Reaching new levels of efficiency.

ARES were tasked with receiving and delivering two WA wind projects at once – Yandin and also Warradarge Wind Farm, a total of 102 wind turbines. In order to handle the large volume of components coming into and going out of the Port, ARES deployed two brand new 70T reach stackers for loading operations.

The reach stackers, having great visibility and manoeuvrability, and able to relocate quickly compared with a traditional crane, proved invaluable in keeping up with the high run rate of the two combined projects, whilst managing to assist with receiving cargo from ships as well.

Largest Blade Transported in Australia.

The blades for the Vestas V150 turbine were the longest ever transported in Australia at the time, measuring 74 metres in length.

These monster blades had to be brought through Perth’s motorway network in the middle of the night in convoys of three, usually departing around midnight and reaching site by around sunrise.  All work was done in close consultation with Main Roads WA and loads were escorted by police.

Flattering Figures

Here’s a high level look at what we were able to achieve on this project:

0

Vestas Wind Turbines 

Each turbine stands 180m tall and produces 4.2MW, forming part of the largest wind farm in WA.

0

Heaviest Component

The Yandin nacelles were heavy weights and required a 96-wheel platform trailer to haul them.

0

Blade Length

That’s 10% longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet (68m).

0

Total Deliveries

These include turbine components, towers, blades, transformers and containers .

The Route

Our way Or the Highway

In consultation with Main Roads WA, the transport route for the Yandin wind turbine components was chosen to avoid most of the densely populated Perth metro area.

The trucks used a combination of the Tonkin, Roe, Great Northern and Brand Highways to skirt around Perth.  Later on, when the NorthLink WA Northern Section opened, that became the preferred route.

Innovating Nacelle offloads

Simply Jacked

The cargo manifest for the Vestas V150 wind turbine for Yandin revealed a problem: the huge nacelle weighed much more than any other component. This would mean having to use an oversized (and more expensive) crane for offloading at port and at site.

ARES’ solution was to design and fabricate a custom set of hydraulic jacks, allowing the nacelles to be lifted on and off the trucks without the need for a crane, and saving Vestas a significant amount in site costs. Yet another example of the way we can add value to a project through our innovative thinking.

The Route

Our way Or the Highway

In consultation with Main Roads WA, the transport route for the Yandin wind turbine components was chosen to avoid most of the densely populated Perth metro area.

The trucks used a combination of the Tonkin, Roe, Great Northern and Brand Highways to skirt around Perth.  Later on, when the NorthLink WA Northern Section opened, that became the preferred route.

Innovating Nacelle offloads

Simply Jacked

The cargo manifest for the Vestas V150 wind turbine for Yandin revealed a problem: the huge nacelle weighed much more than any other component. This would mean having to use an oversized (and more expensive) crane for offloading at port and at site.

ARES’ solution was to design and fabricate a custom set of hydraulic jacks, allowing the nacelles to be lifted on and off the trucks without the need for a crane, and saving Vestas a significant amount in site costs. Yet another example of the way we can add value to a project through our innovative thinking.

Client Testimonial

51 WTGs were delivered safe and sound to the Yandin Wind Farm in WA by ARES, including the longest blade (73.6m) transported in WA.

Transportation in WA came with many challenges, including the fact that each component needed a permit and each permit could only be applied 28 days prior to transportation. Moreover, the bushfires added further difficulties during mobilisation. On top of that, COVID-19 caused many constraints regarding the rotation of interstate resources.

ARES managed to sail through all of these challenges successfully without complaints. ARES always came up with a solution when there was a problem, that made the job far easier than what it could have been otherwise.

Rajesh Dupurkar – VESTAS Project Manager, Yandin Wind Farm