Specialist transport experience enables time-saving transportation for Mauritania’s biggest wind farm

Mauritania’s lengthy shoreline has considerable wind power potential and so the country is looking to increase its ratio of renewable energy. This has led to the commissioning of the €122 million Boulenouar Wind Power Project.

ALE mobilised their specialist transport services to complete the transportation and installation of two electrical transformers, saving time and costs for a 100MW wind farm project near Nouadhibou, Mauritania. Their experience in transportation across a range of sectors enabled them to eliminate a third from the operation’s schedule, which also saved costs.

The abnormal load transport of the electrical transformers, weighing 95t each, crossed over 100km. The route began at the Port of Nouadhibou and finished at a transformation centre.

Once on site, the transformers were unloaded using heavy duty lifting equipment and discharged directly onto rails embedded in concrete. This enabled the transformers to then be rolled on their own wheels to their final position.

ALE was able to mobilise a team at short notice for the operation. For the specialist transport and installation, ALE utilised 6 axle lines of conventional trailer with a 250t capacity tractor, then 90t capacity hydraulic jacks for the unloading.

The new wind farm will be the second in Mauritania with more than three times as much potential power. It will consist of 39 wind turbines and construction is expected to finish in 2019.

ABOUT ALE

ALE has a Smarter, Safer, Stronger solution to any heavy transportation or lifting challenge, no matter how complex.

Our specialised engineering teams, large fleet of innovative equipment and global network of operating centres allow us to bring an intelligent and flexible approach to projects across a wide breadth of industry sectors. This means that clients trust us to help them achieve feats that were once considered impossible, and we have often broken records in doing so.

Developed by our own R&D team, the Innovation Series features world leading lifting and jacking capabilities that have helped to reduce schedule and risk for a range of major projects. This is coupled with an extensive fleet of heavy cranes, specialist transport and installation equipment that allows us to work Smarter, Safer and Stronger regardless of project size or scope.