On the road to Jhimpir… size does matter

With the arrival of another consignment of wind turbines for Fauji Fertiliser Company (FFC)’s Jhimpir wind farm, a major drama is about to unfold as the massive components of the turbines are transported to the project site.
A consignment of 16 wind turbines, including parts and accessories, from Nordex Singapore Equipment Private Limited had arrived at Port Qasim on December 2 intended for the 49.5-megawatt (MW) wind power generation project of the FFC Energy Division in Jhimpir.
Well-placed sources, privy to the development, told Pakistan Today that the FFC Energy’s contractor, Descon, has given the contract of turbines’ transportation to a company named ‘Crescent Goods’ and with each turbine blade 48 metres long – around 160 feet – the biggest issue would be to transport the components safely to the wind farm site.
“Considering the quality of the road to Jhimpir, it will be a real problem as to how these massive blades and towers are transported to the project site,” they said.
“It is still not clear whether the transport company under contract is well-equipped and has sufficient tools for the purpose,” the sources speculated.
Five wind turbines have been installed at the Jhimpir wind farm with 33 more towers to be set up in the next phase. The alternate energy project is scheduled for completion by 2014 with each wind mill to produce 1.8MW electricity.
Across the world, transportation is one of the main issues in the growing wind power industry because of the unusual length, shape and weight of the machinery components.
According to a Caithness Windfarm Information Forum (CWIF) report released last December, during transportation of wind turbines, blades or towers, there were 68 reported accidents, including a 45 metre turbine section ramming into a house, a utility pole knocking down a restaurant, and a turbine section falling off inside a tunnel.
In the report, it is stated that most of the accidents involve turbine sections falling off from the transporting vehicles. “The trend of accidents is increasing with more countries opting for wind power solutions, as reflected by the number of recorded accidents: 16 per year from 1995 to 1999; 48 annually from 2000 to 2004; and 103 accidents per year from 2005 to 2010, on an average.”
The CWIF also believes that the data confirmed through press reports or official information releases may only be the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of the actual number of accidents.
Meanwhile, according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), the specifications for a 1.8MW wind turbine include: the nacelle (generator components) is the size of a small motor home and weighs 63,000 kgs; each blade is 39 metres – the same length as a Boeing 737, while the 3-blade rotor weighs 35,000 kgs; the tower is 65 metres tall and is made up of rolled steel and weighs 132,000 kgs – it contains enough steel to manufacture 206 average cars; the foundation concrete is nine or 10 metres deep with four metres across, with 102 tension type bolts running the full foundation depth; the blades’ swept area is 5,024 square metres – the size of three ice hockey rinks combined or about 1.25 acres; and the total weight of the turbine is about 230,000 kgs – about the same as two fully-fuelled 3,200-horse power diesel electric locomotives.
However, wind turbine components can often be even bigger than the specified dimensions and no wonder that one of the biggest challenges facing the wind power industry is the logistics of transporting such oversized parts, sometimes over extremely long distances from ports.
In Pakistan, wind power generation programme was initiated around five years ago by the installation of Wind Measuring Stations in the costal areas of Sindh. The country’s energy potential is estimated at 346,000MW by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory with only the Gharo-Keti Bander Wind Corridor having a potential of 43,000MW.
With the country also facing a severe energy crisis and the power deficit increasing day by day, the non-conventional power sources are much better for the country and wind power is one of the best available options.
One of the largest companies in Pakistan, the FFC is entering the wind energy market by developing a 50MW wind farm at Jhimpir. The company has obtained various certifications, including Quality Management System (ISO-9001:2000), Environmental Management System (ISO 14001:2004) and Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSAS 18001:1999).