Sarens completes installation of 83 wind turbines at Alberta's Buffalo Plains Wind Farm

Sarens, commissioned by Borea Construction, has offloaded and installed 83 new wind turbines on 17,500 acres of private land near Lomond, in Alberta, contributing to Canada's efforts to transition to cleaner, low-carbon energy and increase its clean energy production. The commercial operation date (COD) of the new Buffalo Plains Wind Farm project is approaching.

The Alberta Interconnected Electric System's reach

This project is proposed to deliver 494 megawatts (MW) of clean energy capacity to the Alberta Interconnected Electric System, comprising 83 total towers. This projected capacity equals to supply a city of more than 100,000 homes, and will help to reduce emissions of around 795,000 tons of CO2 per year.

The turbine models are the Siemens Gamesa 6.0-170 and 5.0-145, with a nominal capacity of 6.6MW and 5.2MW, respectively. The 6.0-170 turbine has a hub height of 110.5 metres and a weight of 149.4 tons, and the 5.0-145 turbine has a hub height of 95.5 metres and a weight of 152.4 tons.

Installation challenges

The Sarens engineering team was in charge of offloading and installing 38 wind turbines of the 145 model and 45 units of the 170 model, and 52 external were hired to accomplish the project's scope on time. The biggest challenge was picking the right top-out cranes for the project to lift the combo lifts and relocate in a timely manner.

The equipment selected was a boom booster and an LG-1750 for their strong lifting at-heights capabilities. Three CC-3800s and one LG-1750 were also used to lift maximum weight at the heights required. The equipment used to lift the heavy wind turbines is user-friendly when it comes to relocations, making them an ideal choice for this type of project.

The team maximized their performance by taking advantage of all low winds to meet the deadlines of hoisting activities and relocation. Due to the project location on very sandy soil, making moves is more time-consuming due to needing to dismantle the cranes further than normal. Another big challenge was avoiding the storms that brought high winds along.

Impact of the project

Apart from contributing to Canada's efforts to transition to cleaner, low-carbon energy in order to become a more energy-stable country, some of the benefits of the Buffalo Plains Wind project include the creation of up to 300 construction jobs during construction and from 10 to 15 permanent local jobs.

Additionally, relevant supply chain opportunities for local businesses and companies, as well as contract opportunities during construction and operation including excavation, civil works, snow removal, road maintenance, fencing, and reclamation. This project has also increased local spending on goods and services in the neighbouring areas.

Sarens' history of wind projects

Sarens has a long history of developing wind projects in Canada. These include the Golden South Wind Project in Assiniboia and the Blue Hill Project in Saskatchewan, where Sarens contributed to the transportation and erection of 50 wind turbines to their final destination.

Sarens was also involved in the maintenance manoeuvres at the Whitla Wind facility, the largest in Alberta, to assemble and disassemble blades, rotors, gearboxes, and main shafts that ensure the correct operation of the wind turbines.