As the global wind industry continues to grow, Sarens is at the forefront of the energy transition, lifting and installing massive wind turbines on both land and water.

In fact, Sarens was recently selected to offload and install several wind turbines for the new Sharp Hills Wind Farm project in Alberta, Canada, on behalf of Borea Construction and project owner EDP Renewables. Sarens has worked closely with Borea Construction on several projects in the past, and our competitive pricing and industry expertise made this collaboration a win for everyone!

The Sharp Hills Wind Farm went live shortly after Sarens completed work at the site, and is now generating 297 megawatts of electricity–enough to power up to 160,000 households. Located in New Brigden, Alberta, it is one of the largest wind energy projects in the province, already having created more than 400 construction jobs and several permanent positions. Sarens was proud to support this pivotal new energy operation from April through December of 2023, from the early project planning stages and all the way through final execution. 

To prepare for the massive lifts required for this operation, Sarens selected the optimal equipment for the job, including: 

• All-terrain cranes ranging from the LTM-1100 to the LTM-1500
• Two LR-1600/2 crawler cranes with SL4DB 108m + 12m jib and 150 main CWT/65 car-body CWT
• The SL-3800 superlift with an SSL configuration and LF_1 with 165 main and CWT/50 car-body CWT

The team selected the above equipment based on factors like ease of relocation, installation efficiency, and ability to ensure minimal footprint damage during installation. Specifically, the LR-1600 cranes offered quick relocation times and walking ability between tower sites. The SL-3800 superlift was also chosen for quick relocation, but the most effective feature proved to be its strong lifting capability, which allowed it to hoist the V-150 nacelle with the gearbox and main shaft already installed. This eliminated two extra lifts and saved considerable time, allowing the crew to complete each tower in a single shift.

To get the equipment on-site, Sarens transported the superstructure on K-25 trailers and the crawler cranes via 30 truckloads each. All equipment arrived from other sites in Alberta, and each mobilised crane required 2-3 days for arrival plus another 3.5-4 days for initial setup.

During offload and transport operations, Sarens’ K-25 team, which consisted of 8-10 personnel, transported the heavy crawler crane loads, which weighed up to 95 tonnes each. The team had to plan each move with all other site activities going on at the same time, and relocations where crawling was not possible relied on the K-25 team and site transport. 

Then, during installation, Sarens and Borea Construction crews lifted 67 turbines consisting of a tower section, nacelle, drive train, and blades. The lifts weighed from 32 to 141 tonnes each, with the SL-3800 lifting the heaviest, a 141-tonne nacelle, at an 18 metre radius. A total of 15 workers from Borea and Sarens were stationed at each pad location, ensuring successful installations while simultaneously crawling and slewing. Throughout the project, the team also had to contend with summer thunderstorms, determining the right weather conditions in which to perform each lift in a timely and safe manner.

Sarens would like to thank our client, Borea Construction, for their continued trust, and to wish this pivotal new wind farm project–and the surrounding community–a bright future ahead!