Turbine on the rise; 292-foot structure will change look of Port skyline
NEWBURYPORT — The 280-foot-high crane arrived in pieces last week, courtesy of about eight tractor-trailers.
This week, it’s being used in the industrial park to erect an even taller structure, as the massive wind turbine going up at Mark Richey Woodworking begins to take shape. Richey received permission from the city over the summer to build the 600-kilowatt Elecon TurboWinds wind turbine on his property.
Yesterday, Richey stood and watched as the first piece of the tower was lifted into place.
“Super exciting,” he said.
By the end of the week, the turbine will stand about 292 feet tall, slightly higher and in about the same spot as the crane that currently towers over the city skyline. It may well be the tallest structure in the city and will be visible from the Atlantic Ocean to Interstate 95 and many places beyond.
By comparison, the March’s Hill water tower is thought to be about 221 feet tall, and a topographical map shows the land underneath to be about 80 feet, meaning the tower would be about 300 feet above sea level. The 292-foot turbine sits at roughly 30 feet above sea level, which would make it slightly higher.
A group of neighbors has protested the giant turbine, and two of them have filed an court appeal of the decision, citing safety and health concerns. That appeal is still pending, meaning Richey is putting the turbine up at his own risk.
Over the next few days, the final two pieces of the tower will be put into place, before the hub and rotors are put in place, likely on Thursday, depending on tomorrow’s weather. Forecasts call for a snowstorm.
By week’s end, the turbine should be fully in place, Richey said; however, it will still be a while before it’s operational. Over the next several weeks, electrical wiring will be done and the turbine will be connected to the grid. By early February, Richey says he hopes to commission the turbine and start generating power.
Richey got a $474,340 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which will pay for a third of cost of the turbine. The turbine will produce about 1 million kilowatt hours a year, which will help power the 80,000-square-foot woodworking shop.
Yesterday, about 20 people took part in the first phase of the installation. Lumus Construction, of Woburn, is the contractor for the job, and an engineer from Elecon has also been at the site.
A representative from Meridian Associates, a land surveying, civil engineering and landscape architectural firm that worked on the Richey project, has also visited.
Workers prepared the area for the first 50-foot piece of the tower, laying grout to level the foundation and preparing the 120 bolts and shims for installation, before the crane — which weighs 300 tons —eventually moved the piece into place. That piece of the tower weighs about 52,000 pounds.
Today, the second and third pieces of the tower will be put up. Those sections are about 80 feet tall each and weigh around 30,000 pounds each, Richey said.
“Safety is our focus,” Richey said.
In the months since the city granted approval, Richey said he’s heard excitement and encouragement from people.
“I’ve gotten dozens of e-mails,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of people coming by, taking pictures.”
BOX
Follow the construction of the 292-foot wind turbine through an online slide show at newburyportnews.com. The slide show will be updated daily through the end of the week.
By Katie Farrell
Staff writer
6 January 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related stories:
- Turbine owner presses ahead with installation
- Near-300-foot structure set to go up; As turbine parts arrive, neighbors keep up the fight
- Richey: Turbine fears unjustified
- Turbine towers over city
- Wind turbine OK’d
- Opposition grows over wind turbine; At 292 feet tall, structure would be tallest in Newburyport
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