December 30, 2011
Massachusetts

Scituate expects 263-foot-tall wind turbine delivery for Jan. 13

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent, Globe Staff, boston.com 29 December 2011

Scituate officials are preparing locals for the arrival of the 263-foot-tall, $6 million wind turbine, which is expected to come into town the evening of Jan. 13.

According to a townwide e-mail, selectmen will be meeting with the turbine-erecting team next Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 6:30 p.m. to hear a presentation on the turbine and how delivery in the town will work.

The town will be airing the meeting on Channel 10 along with a time-lapse video of the turbine erection process.

According to Al Bangert, the head of the DPW, rather than doing a test run with the turbine pieces, which will be varying shapes and sizes and require alternative routes for delivery to the town, the problems have been worked out through a computer graphics tool.

“The different parts make take different routes from Providence. Some are big in diameter. The blades are long so more straight roads. There are three to four different routes. In January they will know the exact route, of course,” Bangert said.

It’s a logistical game, and requires the transportation of massive pieces, such as the 120-foot long blades that will be delivered in sections.

The delivery will most likely happen between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. to avoid traffic on the roads.

“Exactly when does it arrive, how long it takes to get unloaded [is unsure], but state police will assign a date and time and sign off on the route. There will be a lot of flashing lights and vehicles,” Bangert said.

Majority of the parts will arrive by ship, he said.

According to Bangert, the Scituate turbine will be a similar design to the one in Charlestown, but 30 feet taller.

The final assembly and testing for the turbine is expected to be complete in March, and eventually, the structure will provide half of the electrical power supply for all of the towns municipal and school buildings.

Although majority of the parts have not arrived to Scituate yet, crews have already constructed the foundation – drilling 20, 60-feet-deep holes in the base, filling them with steel and concrete, and mounting the 20-foot in diameter, five-foot thick base on top of it.

The ring for the circular turbine will eventually mount on that base.

Additionally, town officials have chosen to have the turbine say “Scituate” on the generator that sits at the center of the turbine.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/12/30/scituate-expects-263-foot-tall-wind-turbine-delivery-for-jan-13/