The spike in wind energy demand has been primarily, though not entirely, driven by the private sector, with investment coming from major corporate players like Walmart, AT&T, Merck & Co.,, and Grupo Bimbo.


and the size of the rigging that we are needing are just scaling larger and larger.” Te largest crane Ortiz has worked with while at RES is a Leibherr 11350. With a hoist height of almost 200 meters, and a maximum load capacity over 1,350 tons, this crawler packs a punch. But, Ortiz cautioned, “… if the turbine sizes keep getting bigger and the hub heights keep getting taller, that crane might be undersized in the next couple years.” He added, “Tere’s not a lot of craneage the size we’ll


need it. To me, this will push innovation on how we erect these things.”


BOSS has also felt the push to innovate as technology develops. Currently, their maintenance crews operate 100- to 900- ton machines, depending on the job, but, Cowley indicated, “… of course, we have to be prepared to get larger cranes as needed.” He added that one wind owner they partner with has


invested in a highly advanced climbing crane, designed to replace mobile cranes for work on wind towers. “Tat market will probably grow in the years to come, on the


26 SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2018 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE


maintenance side,” he forecasted, “especially as these towers get taller, and go up to 110, 120, 140 meters.”


Each piece of a turbine lift requires a specialized piece of equipment and a focused team to go along with it.


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