IT LOOKED LIKE AN outtake from one of the Transformer’s films as dozens of monster components for the $61-million Amherst wind project were readied Tuesday at the Port of Halifax for transport to the assembly site.
"This is exciting for us, as it is the first location that the new Suzlon model S97 turbines have been installed as a group in North America," said Derek Lim Soo, vice-president of sales and marketing for Suzlon Wind Energy Corp. in North America.
Each of the 48-metre-long turbine blades — three for each turbine for a total of 36 blades — will be mounted on custom-configured flatbeds to be moved out of the city beginning after midnight Thursday.
The 15 connecting hubs (which hold the blades) and also the nacelles (which include the gears and generators) of the units will also occupy an impressive bit of road during transport.
"All the components for one turbine will arrive each working day and we allow about four days for installation for each unit, weather permitting," said Lim Soo, affiliated with the international company’s Toronto office.
With the exception of the towers that are being made by DSTN Trenton Ltd., the assorted blades, hubs and peripherals to be transported to Amherst over the next couple of weeks will have the capacity to power about 10,000 homes when commissioned in about six months.
The erection of the turbines at the site about five kilometres outside Amherst will make for an impressive vista for motorists approaching the province from New Brunswick, said Jeff Jenner, chief executive officer of Sprott Power Corp., a Toronto partner in the project.
"As people enter the province, they will be able to see them for miles around," Jenner said.
The completed wind farm will be worth about $150,000 in annual tax revenue for the Municipality of County of Cumberland and will create the equivalent of five direct and indirect jobs for maintenance and site upkeep for the life of the wind farm.
Each turbine will be assembled on the ground and hoisted into place with a giant crane.
Halifax-area residents will have limited opportunities to watch the unusual convoy of big trucks as the city requires the loads be moved — via Bedford Highway — outside of its boundaries at night, when there is minimal traffic.
Once outside the Halifax area, there should be ample opportunity to catch each convey of at least 11 trucks during the week along the route up to the assembly site.
Considering each turbine blade is about the length of a downtown Halifax city block, the shipments should be hard to miss.
Premier Darrell Dexter said the project will help the province achieve its renewable energy targets, which he described as among the most aggressive in North America.
"Over the past six years, the price of coal has risen 75 per cent," Dexter said, referring to the province’s reliance of coal for electrical generation.
"The government has established aggressive targets to help reduce the dependence of fossil fuels, a move that will make life more affordable for families by ensuring lower, more stable power rates in the long term."
Suzlon Wind Energy, the world’s fifth-largest manufacturer of wind turbines, is already in talks with other parties in Nova Scotia interested in using their technology for their projects.
"However, these negotiations are currently underway and we’re not in a position to discuss who our potential clients may be," said Lim Soo.
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