| 23 T T Richard Loader Vestas’ project scope extends Mercury Energy’s Turitea Wind Farm from 119 MW to 222 MW. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Vestas: Turitea Wind Farm The global leader in sustainable energy solutions Vestas is the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) lead of both the northern and southern section of Mercury Energy’s Turitea Wind Farm. Vestas’ project scope extends Mercury Energy’s Turitea Wind Farm from 119 MW to 222 MW, improving the cost of energy and establishing the project as New Zealand’s largest wind farm. “We design and manufacture every component of the wind turbine, and organise end-to-end installation of the project including transportation, construction, installation, grid connection and long-term maintenance,” says a Vestas’ spokeperson. “Upon completion, Vestas will also deliver a 25-year service agreement, designed to maximise energy production for the lifetime of the project. With an energy-based availability guarantee covering both turbines and balance of plant assets, Vestas will provide Mercury with long-term business case certainty.” The Turitea Wind Farm is located along the Tararua Ranges, near Palmerston North, and will features a further 27 of Vestas’ V112-3.45 MW turbines optimised to generate at 3.8MW, alongside the initial 33 Vestas V112-3.45 MW turbines optimised to generate at 3.6 MW. The 60 Vestas’ wind turbines across the full project will generate up to 840GWh per annum, powering the equivalent of 375,000 electric vehicles. The turbines’ optimised power rating and site-specific tower design have been selected to maximise the energy generation at the wind farm. The wind turbine installation and major civil works has been completed at the northern section, which is now in full operation, with major civil works underway at the southern section. “Approximately 80,000 hours were required for the wind turbine installation. At peak, approximately 180 construction personnel were working on site.” Vestas also successfully managed Smith Crane’s delivery of the blades utilising a Blade Manipulator, which was a first for the Australasian wind industry. The spokeperson explains that wind power is the electricity generated by harnessing the energy of wind. The more velocity and density the wind has, the more energy it will carry. “Every wind turbine is designed to capture wind of a particular range of speeds. For that reason, it is very important to know what is the range of wind speeds of every area with precision. The wind power is captured by the blades of a wind turbine, which provoke the spinning of the rotor and in turn a generator, converting the energy captured by the blades to electricity.” The electricity generated by the wind turbines is transmitted through the underground transmission lines to a grid management substation, placed in the wind site. There, the voltage of the electric current is adapted to the grid. Once the electricity is in the grid, it travels all the way through the cables sustained by the voltage towers until it reaches every home. With a vision to become the global leader in sustainable energy solutions, everything Vestas does revolves around the development and deployment of sustainable energy solutions. “Every day, our 29,000 employees help create a better world by designing, manufacturing, installing, developing, and servicing wind energy and hybrid projects all over the world.” With +145 GW of wind turbines installed in 85 countries, Vestas’ sustainable energy solutions have already prevented 1.5 billion tonnes³ of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere and contributed to a more sustainable energy system. “We have more than forty years of experience in wind energy and were the first comImproving the cost of energy pany to reach the 100 GW landmarks for both the installation and service of wind turbines. As such, we believe we have already played a crucial role in laying the foundations for the sustainable era, and that we are uniquely positioned to show the path to a sustainable planet. Wind energy is our heritage and core competence. We believe wind will form the backbone of the sustainable energy systems of the future, and we remain focused on developing solutions that accelerate the energy transition and strengthen Vestas’ continued leadership in wind.” In Janurary 2022, Vestas was named the most sustainable company in the world in the 18th annual Global 100 ranking published by Corporate Knights. www.tranzcarr.co.nz Tranzcarr Heavy Haulage are proud to support Vestas Email: transport@tranzcarr.co.nz Telephone: 09 2639900. 134 Plunket Avenue, Manukau City, Auckland Operating it’s own fleet of trucks, specialised trailers and equipment Tranzcarr Heavy Haulage offers specialisation in transport of all overdimensional and project related cargo.
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