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NPPD turbines going up
Ainsworth -- It may not be the top of the world, but when standing on the hub of a wind turbine tower 230 feet above the ground in north central Nebraska, it seems pretty close.
"There's quite a view from up there," said Nebraska Public Power District Construction Manager John Befort. "It's panoramic to say the least."
Befort and a project team of NPPD employees are working with Renewable Energy Systems American Construction Inc. whom NPPD hired to install 36 wind turbines by this fall. Ten turbines are already constructed with the respective electrical wiring accompanying each turbine's completion.
Delivery of the remaining sky-scraping generators continues each week with sections arriving separately. The 131-foot, 3.5-ton blades arrive in pairs on long flatbed trailers, as do the other tower sections. Each tubular base weighs 42 tons and is 40 feet in length; mid tower sections are 40 tons and 75 feet in length; and top sections weigh 37 tons each and are 108 feet in length. Each nacelle (the enclosure on top of the tower) weighs 51 tons with 40' x 11' x 12' dimensions.
Access to the site is prohibited during construction for safety reasons; however, a viewing area has been built approximately six miles south of Ainsworth adjacent to Highway 7. A sign to identify the viewing area will be posted in the near future.
The clay and gravel parking lot can hold approximately a dozen cars. Even with the viewing area available, the public is advised to practice safety when traveling near or within the vicinity of the semi loads and the construction site. Photos of the construction and information about the future wind facility are also available on NPPD's website, www.nppd.com.
"The Ainsworth community has been great," said Befort. "We know the public is very interested in this construction project and NPPD recognizes the benefit the facility will bring to the area. The viewing area was built in an effort to accommodate those who are interested in the project without jeopardizing the safety of our contractors, employees, or the public."
The facility's 36 turbines will stand on 52-foot wide foundations constructed of a total 2.1 million pounds of rebar and a total 10,800 cubic yards of concrete. Three blades are assembled to each generating unit and, once operational, will spin at speeds of 138 miles per hour in a 269-foot rotor diameter. When operating, the facility will have the capability of generating up to 60 megawatts of energy which can serve approximately 19,000 homes on average.
"After each tower is assembled, the electrical collection system is wired between the turbine and the substation," Befort explained. "Commissioning of the individual turbines will begin in early July with every equipment component tested for quality assurance."
Commissioning will continue throughout construction with provisional acceptance of the turbines starting in the middle to latter part of July. The $81.4 million project will benefit customers of NPPD, the Omaha Public Power District, Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, Grand Island Utilities and JEA of Jacksonville, Fla. who, as project participants, are interested in varying amounts of the facility's output.
"The project is on schedule," said NPPD Project Manager Art Wiese. "More than nine miles of site roads are 99 percent complete and 71,000 feet of underground cable is installed, but there is a lot of work to do before the wind facility will be commercial."