30 | Expertise crucial for Chathams project The Chatham Islands Point Durham wind farm comprises three refurbished Vestas V27 225 kilowatt turbines and a grid-balancing plan, which will considerably reduce the island’s dependency on diesel-powered generation. Hunter Civil Ltd: Point Durham T T Russell Fredric “Once we started talking to the client and understanding what their challenges were, we were able to work together to come up with a solution.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT As the company chosen to deliver the civil site works and craneage on the Chatham Islands Point Durham wind farm, Hunter Civil’s involvement was initially more by evolution than by design. Currently under construction, the wind farm comprises three refurbished Vestas V27 225 kilowatt turbines and a grid-balancing plan, which will considerably reduce the island’s dependency on diesel-powered generation. Hunter Civil chief executive Bryce Moir says the company has developed strong and lasting relationships with Chatham Islands stakeholders, going back to projects in 2009. However, Hunter Civil did not actively pursue the contract for its part on the project involving the wind farm’s foundations and turbine installation. “We were stationed in the Chathams delivering another project, a barge ramp, and we had mobilised a small concrete batching plant. The client, Chatham Islands Electricity Limited (CIEL), needed concrete under the precast units for the wind farm project,” explains Bryce. Following some informal conversations with a representative of CIEL, Hunter Civil was asked to provide a quotation and was subsequently engaged as the lead civil construction company to complete the works. “Because we’re so diverse in our plant capability and staff expertise, we were able to complete all works in-house with the support of some local Chatham Islands subcontractors, delivering some of the lower-risk works for us.” Hunter Civil collaborated with Vestas, which designs, manufactures, installs and services wind turbines internationally, and multi-national consultant/designer WSP. “The scope included installation of 51 precast foundation units; the foundations were post-tensioned and grouted to complete the installation. Our team worked with Vestas to safely lift the 12-tonne, 30-metre tower sections and complete the complex installation of the nacelle and blade assembly,” says Bryce. The project involved significant and complex engineering and transportation challenges; all the equipment and materials had to be shipped on the scheduled service to the island from Timaru port. “The biggest restriction was the weight limit of the crane to lift equipment on and off the boat. We had to come up with a plan, to use one of our cranes that could be disassembled into small enough components to be lifted on to the boat, but big enough to perform the job.” Because of the isolated location, planning had to be meticulous down to every nut, bolt and screw, while also accounting for redundancy of items such as generators. This took weeks, with all the materials and equipment placed in multiple containers and having to be ready to meet the freighter’s Timaru port schedule. Engaging local contractors for excavation and backfill operations reduced mobilisation costs and minimised the project’s environmental footprint, while creating valuable employment opportunities within the island community. The project’s highly technical nature fitted well with the type of work Hunter Civil likes to tackle, Bryce says. “It challenges our people, and essentially it enables growth throughout the team.” Once commissioned, the wind farm will replace approximately 62% to 68% of the power currently produced by diesel generators. This will reduce diesel consumption on the island by about $1.2 million annually and, in turn, reduce both the carbon emissions and the cost of electricity on the island. “Once we started talking to the client and understanding what their challenges were, we were able to work together to come up with a solution. That’s where we come into our own – understanding client challenges, devising a plan and utilising our significant fleet of different machines and our highly skilled team to engineer a solution.” FUTURE PROOF NZ 0800 657 156 fosroc.co.nz Ocean Spray Transport Ltd OSTL Transport, Crane Trucks and Logistics General and Specialised transport and li�s, �ppers, semis and lowbed, over dimension loads and more. Mark Buckley - Director | Ph 022 0970818 Jamie Coles - Operations Manager | Ph 022 4934945 81 Kennaway Road, Woolston, Christchurch | Email: mark@ostl.co.nz Proud to support Hunter Civil On site mobile crushing and screening with modern tracked machines • Deliveries available from our Aylesbury Quarry of AP20, AP40, AP65, boulders, sand, dust & premix. 03 3181198 admin@southernscreenworks.co.nz 50 Bealey Rd, RD1, Aylesbury www.southernscreenworks.co.nz
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