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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
APRIL
2017
20
PROJECTS & CONTRACTS
Cornelis Grotius, general manager
Johnson Renew, says that the current
contract to supply cranes and support
services for installation of 67 wind turbines
started in May 2016 and is expected to have
an eight month duration.
Being constructed by EPC Longyuan
Engineering South Africa, the Longyuan
Mulilo De Aar Maanhaarberg Wind Energy
Facility project is a 96,5 MW wind energy
facility. Longyuan Engineering South Africa,
of which a local Community Education Trust
has a 30% shareholding, is a subsidiary
of China Longyuan. The wind turbine
generators are being supplied from China
by Guodian United Power Corporation.
Grotius says the wind turbine
components are offloaded on the
installation pads ready for the heavy lift
programme to begin. These lifts are done
using a 250 t mobile crane. The heavy lift
programme starts with the pre-installation
of the bottom tower sections using a
combination of a 550 t crane and a
100 t crane.
The main installation lifting will be done
with a 1 200 t hydraulic crawler crane used
in combination with a 100 t crane.
“As a subsidiary of Johnson Crane Hire,
Johnson Renew has ready access to the
depth of its parent company’s crane fleet
which allows it to supply these different
crane combinations,” Grotius says. “This
is a major differentiator in the market and
allows us to customise lifting packages for
individual projects.”
Significantly, the LTR 11200 is the fleet’s
newest crawler crane and was selected to
undertake the main installation lifts due to
its narrow track crawler undercarriage and
100 metre hydraulic boom. This technology
allows the machine to move and set up
relatively rapidly between installation pads
with the added advantage of travelling on
narrow access roads. This will assist in
increasing the productivity on the project.
Commenting on the challenges on this
particular site, Grotius says that there are
a number of very steep hills resulting in
potentially difficult terrain in which to work.
Undertaking heavy lifts difficult
conditions is not new for Johnson Renew.
“We have an established track record with
challenging conditions and will be able to
leverage our resident expertise in heavy
lifting and wind farm project experience
to ensure that we meet the construction
programme safely,” Grotius says.
Preparing for any lift includes a full
assessment of the on-site conditions as
well as route surveys. All this is done in
close collaboration with both the client and
the crane OEM to ensure all aspects are
factored into the lifting solution.
“Upfront planning enables our heavy lift
team to select the most appropriate crane
configuration for the task at hand which
in this case is the new LTR 11200 crawler
crane,” he says.
“It is by understanding our crane fleet
and how these machines can be adapted
for specific site conditions that we are able
to optimise the lifting solution and produce
the results we do, and with an impeccable
safety record.”
This knowledge comes with years of
experience, and ensuring that all operators
are skilled and competent. “Ongoing
operator training also plays an important
role in adapting the lifting operation to site
specific conditions,” he says.
LIFTING
De Aar
wind farm
TURBINES
Challenging conditions are considered normal for
Johnson Renew, and its contract at De Aar 1 Wind
Farm showcased how this subsidiary of Johnson
Crane Hire overcomes these with ease.
ABOVE:
Johnson Crane Hire’s LTR 11200
crawler crane in action.
LEFT:
Johnson Crane Hire's new LTR
11200 was selected to undertake the
main installation lifts due to its narrow
track crawler undercarriage and 100 metre
hydraulic boom.