Building wind farms: Part five: the precarious construction phase needs careful preparation

INSTALLING A turbine onto its foundation and completing final assembly can be done in a day, but the full job of constructing a wind farm involves a long list of civil engineering and electrical work. It can take anything from one to three years, and calls for expert project management skills.Once planning approval and project finance is secured, careful management of a complex series of engineering, logistical and electrical processes is vital.Whilst turbine suppliers busy themselves with getting the turbine of choice manufactured, pre-assembled and ready for shipping to site, the project developer needs to undertake extensive site preparation before the final build can even be contemplated:“They build access roads and clear the areas where turbines will be erected,” explains The Canadian Wind Energy Association. “They then prepare the foundations and do the excavating, followed by installing the formworks and pouring concrete.”Once all components have been received, final assembly and connection to the grid can take place:….