Collett & Sons is celebrating the successful delivery of 216 giant wind turbine components to Limekiln Wind Farm, near Reay Caithness in the Scottish Highlands, writes Carol Millett.
The turbine components are part of a project to erect 24 Vestas V136 turbines at the wind farm, which is currently under construction.
Over a five-month period, Collett’s dedicated team, which specialises in managing large-scale heavy transport projects, planned and coordinated deliveries.
The deliveries commenced in May 2024 and involved Collett’s skilled team of nine which included three drivers, three steersmen, a project manager, a site supervisor and a tow truck operator.
Components were shipped into Scrabster Port with port operations such as vessel berthing, component handling, crane offloading and vessel discharge, organised by Collett.
Following the arrival of the first phase of blades and tower sections to the port, the Collett team transported them directly to a secure on-site storage area on the wind farm.
The delivery of the remaining components was strategically aligned with the wind farm’s construction schedule.
Key components included 67m long blades transported on Nooteboom Super Wing Carrier trailers and 74Te base tower sections transported utilising Collett’s new 3×7 Nooteboom clamps.
Additional components, such as mid tower, top tower, nacelle, drive train, and hub, were transported via 6-axle stepframe trailer.
Ahead of deliveries, Collett’s consulting department conducted a detailed route assessment, including swept path analysis reports.
The evaluations identified the need of street furniture removal, tree trimming and most notably, widening of a sharp bend on a turning area near the port exit road.
This modification was particularly crucial for transporting the blades due to their length. To ensure route feasibility, Collett carried out a test run, simulating the loaded blade trailer length using an extendable trailer with a 15m rear projection.
All components followed the same 45-minute route to the wind farm site entrance before navigating the large wind farm site to their respective pad. Police escorts were arranged for blades and tower sections up to the site entrance, with Collett’s escort fleet continuing the journey across the site.
Collett team coordinated closely with Highland Council and BEAR Scotland who are responsible for A9 roads in the region, to arrange permits and address route adjustments. The project was also tracked regularly through communication with Vestas and wind farm stakeholders, supported by daily meetings and calls.
Once operational, the Limekiln Wind Farm will have an installed capacity of 108 MW, capable of generating enough green electricity to meet the annual demand of approximately 40,200 households.
This renewable energy generation is expected to offset at least 65,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year, which would otherwise be produced by gas or coal-fired power stations.
Collett & Sons Ltd, which was founded in 1928 has long experience transporting difficult and abnormal loads throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide, and specialises in servicing the power generation, oil and gas, civil & infrastructure, heavy engineering and renewables sectors.
Operating across depots in Halifax, Elland, Bradford, Sherburn-In-Elmet, Goole, Grangemouth and Ireland, the Collett team provides global transport logistics, incorporating all heavy lift, marine, consulting and warehousing services.
