During the the fall 11 turbines with a total of 300 tons each were transported up Nygårdsfjellet and lifted into place with Vest Kran equipment. Projectleader for the turbine delivery, Thorkel Lund in Nordkraft Vind notes that the lifting and installation occurred without incident and on schedule, and this despite the fact that the crane work was initiated two weeks late due to shipping damage on a central crane component.

- Very satisfied

- We are very happy with the work done on Nygårdsfjellet. Cooperation between the main contractor, Siemens and its subcontractors have generally gone very smoothly and all the turbines were delivered as per their schedule and budget. There were certainly some challenges along the way as it often is, but they were an easy fixes, says Thorkel Lund.

In total, there have been 40-50 people working on site during the installation. As the builder, Nordkraft closely followed up their safety responsibilities with daily follow-ups and with their own people constantly on the site.

Heavy lifts

Every turbine weighs in total 300 tons and the largest single lift is about 85 tons. The machine housing with great precision is to be placed 90 meters above the ground. The rotators length of 45 meters also demontrates the challenges that Vest Kran crews faced.
- Our main supplier, Siemens Windpower delivered all without significant comments from us. An important reason why it went so well was the crane operator from Vest Kran, says Lund.
- As a crane operator, he was responsible for safety during the lifting and always had the last word. This responsibility was well taken care of.

Record Winds

Not only the installation and commissioning of the installation went well, but the wind played nice with the developer when production was begun. February was noted for record production, and March is also very well on the way. Historically, March is one of the best wind months on Nygårdsfjellet which already is among the places in Norway with the best wind resources.
The new turbines in Phase II of the development on Nygårdsfjellet will provide additional 82 GWh of electricity to households in the Narvik area. The producer already has three wind turbines in the area.

New project on time

Nordkraft is already looking forward to starting the next project.
- We are expecting a response any day to our license application for the construction of 50 MW and about 14 to 15 mills on the Ånstadblåheia in Sortland. This is a project that is part of Vesterålskraft Vind AS, where Nordkraft has large owner interests, says Lund.
According to the signals they have received from NVE, he is very optimistic that the project will have a positive licensing decision in the near future.

Can lead to new jobs for Vest Kran

Lund does not exclude that the same vendors may be relevant for this job as well.
- This job will be tendered first, but they are competitive and there is nothing to suggest that the same partners should not get the jobs, said Lund, who these days is about to establish a project organization for the project in Sortland.

Siemens extremely pleased

The main contractor, Siemens is also pleased with the efforts on Nygårdsfjellet.
-We knew that Vest Kran has incredibly creative and talented people. And they have proven this to the fullest by keeping a record pace in the assembly of our turbines and through a job well done. We at Simens are proud to work with Vest Kran, says site manager at Nygårdsfjellet, John Kirkegaard at Siemens.
Also, Siemens was impressed by the catching up that Vest Kran accomplished.
- The delay of two weeks, Vest Kran managed to catch up. They made good progress and activity and showed good project management. We would like to cooperate more with Vest Kran and their subcontractor, FairWind.
Vest Kran also worked with Siemens at Høg-Jæren where 27 turbines were installed last spring.
International Enercon experience
Vest Kran has since completed several installations commissioned by Enercon turbines, both in Norway and in Europe.
- Many years of experience and the flexibility we offer when we combine our large cranes CC NT 2800 with other cranes, enables us to deliver good and smart solutions to customers. It makes us attractive also for new projects. But we will not stand still with this. We are going to develop us to be even better, says Managing Director Morten Martinessen.