Specialist transport operator Collett has completed a two-phase abnormal load operation to deliver 344 wind turbine components to the Windy Standard III wind farm extension in Dumfries and Galloway, using the ports of Glasgow and Ayr as import gateways.
The programme involved transporting components for 20 Enercon turbines to the Waterhead Hill and Meaul Hill clusters, with tower sections arriving at King George V Dock in Glasgow and all remaining turbine components discharged at the Port of Ayr.
The Glasgow consignments travelled 68 miles to the site, while components imported through Ayr faced a 23-mile road journey. A further 62 containers carrying ancillary parts and equipment were also delivered as part of the project.
The operation required different transport configurations to accommodate the two turbine models. The 12 E-138 turbines featured blades measuring 68 metres, while the eight E-115 units required 57.4-metre blades. The heaviest individual component was an E-115 tower section weighing 81 tonnes.
Collett managed vessel discharges and reloading at both ports, coordinating deliveries around the wind farm’s construction schedule.
Working alongside Police Scotland, the company organised abnormal load movements across three weeknights, completing two runs per night with a dedicated police escort team. Departures were scheduled after 19:00 from Glasgow and 22:00 from Ayr, with police escorts accompanying every movement.
Roadworks and access restrictions presented some of the biggest challenges. Collett worked with Ayrshire Roads Alliance, Renfrewshire Council, Transport Scotland and National Highways to coordinate movements with planned infrastructure works.
At Polnessan, structural works on the southbound A713 required additional technical drawings and consultancy to secure a dispensation allowing the transport combinations to pass.
Preparatory work by Collett’s Consulting department included detailed route surveys and swept-path analysis to identify the modifications needed along the routes. This resulted in junction alterations, lighting column removals and adjustments to street furniture to accommodate the oversized loads and their turning requirements.
The transport operation deployed Nooteboom Super Wing Carriers for the blades, Nooteboom and Scheuerle clamp trailers for tower sections, and various step-frame trailers for the remaining components.
The dedicated team comprised a project manager, seven drivers, seven escort drivers and a tow truck driver.
David Watson, general project manager at Enercon, said: “Collett’s involvement from initial route survey and SPA’s through port logistics, offsite works and AIL deliveries has been greatly appreciated.
“While there were external challenges in delivering the AIL components to Windy Standard 3 site the team at Colletts, and in particular Lee Robinson, have been a great support in ensuring these challenges have been overcome and components have reached site as soon as possible.”
Windy Standard III wind farm
Windy Standard III comprises 12 E-138 EP3 E3 turbines rated at 4.26MW, operating in 4.5MW yield-optimised mode, alongside eight E-115 EP3 turbines rated at 4.2MW. The E-138 machines are mounted on 111-metre steel towers, giving a tip height of 180 metres, while the E-115 turbines stand on 67-metre towers with a tip height of 125 metres. The development has a combined installed capacity of 87.6MW. It also marks Great Britain’s first installation of an E-nacelle on an E-138 turbine mounted on a 111-metre tower, a configuration expected to feature increasingly in the UK market.
