The coolest wind farm in the world
Logistical challenges – and some advantages
Any engineer will tell you most projects raise a few obstacles. But a project in Antarctica would inevitably generate more interesting challenges than most. These have included a tight work programme (between November to February), considerable transportation logistics, project resourcing constraints, and summer temperatures varying between -37 and five degrees Celsius; it's even colder when the wind is blowing, which it often is, given this is a wind farm site.
"Working in one of the most environmentally sensitive areas of the world while dealing with unique and complex engineering, compounded by extreme climatic conditions meant people with a prior understanding of the environment were a significant advantage for us. Team members had to be able to work hard and overcome unexpected problems along the way, and they had to be able to get along with others, Mr Bennett says.
"The small construction window resulted [not only] in a very aggressive schedule, but also in a 'can do', solution-focussed attitude among the contractors, and an elegance of simplicity in the design solutions they achieved. There was also a huge amount of contingency planning involved, and a 'lean and mean' approach to what we needed on the ice. We had to plan and programme down to the last nut and bolt."
The transportation logistics required forward thinking. As the annual Ross Island supply ship arrives at the end of the season, you have to think a year ahead to begin work the following October, as everything needs to be transported in February. One day late with a component delivery could easily translate into the project running a year behind, impacting on its completion.
Other challenges were more mundane. "Everyone understands extreme temperatures are part of the challenge of working on the ice. What is perhaps less obvious, however, are the dexterity constraints imposed by the thick gloves and garments the construction team must wear," Mr Bennett says.
"We had to design some components specifically with this in mind, to ensure tiny parts were not too small and fiddly for workers to install. For example, the steel foundation components had all their edges rounded to prevent any cuts in gloves during handling."
Even simple tasks took time; signing in and out of Scott Base, changing into extreme cold-weather clothing, and waiting for vehicles to warm up added significant time before working days began.
Fortunately, there were some site-specific advantages. "Crater Hill is one of the few ice-free locations in Antarctica, which made getting the foundations correctly positioned and levelled a great deal easier than it might have been," Mr Mitchell says.
Existing road access was also an advantage, as the hill had already been "disturbed" by human activities, so the wind farm's environmental impact was minimal. "Interestingly, although the turbines are located within a kilometre of the sea, corrosion is not an issue," Mr MacKinven says.
"This is because the sea is frozen and hence there is no salt spray. Consequently the foundations only need minimal painting to protect them from the elements."
The dry climate also helped, as although extremely cold, less ice forms on the turbine blades, so there were fewer operational constraints compared to other cold-weather locations.
"Having 24 hours of daylight allowed us a degree of flexibility. There were a couple of times the team worked late to get a project phase completed, for example during a lull following a period of high wind when work couldn't proceed," Mr Bennett says.
