A major North American wind farm operator was in final permitting stages for the largest wind farm in North America. The project entailed a 3 gigawatt wind farm that would require approximately 1000 turbines in a remote part of southern Wyoming with construction spaced over a 4 year period. Permit conditions and weather created a compressed construction schedule during each year of the project. Large wind turbine components and construction materials needed to arrive from remote and multiple locations. This complex project required coordination of regulatory agencies, manufacturers, transportation systems, and construction contractors. PLG Consulting was retained in a series of engagements to provide logistics service guidance and engineering services.
Services Provided
- Wrote site plan of development and schedule for rail facility
- Completed traffic engineering analysis and management planning for local roadways
- Designed and engineered rail yard and turbine and materials receiving yards
- Implemented engineering design and signalization interaction with serving Class I railroad
- Obtained rail facility permitting
- Analyzed multiple locations and configurations for efficient rail receiving of turbine components and other project-related construction materials
- Working within a very compressed annual turbine construction window, designed cost-effect delivery plan including intermediate receiving facility to match receiving and pad delivery schedules
- Traffic management plan engineered with mitigations designed to minimize impacts on local roadways during construction
Results
- Final permitted design maximizes the use of rail for materials and component deliveries
- System will save client many millions of dollars in transportation costs
- Rail facility in compliance with railroad guidelines and requirements
- Rail facility has received all necessary local, state, and federal permits
