Gulf Haulage Heavy Lift Co. builds Saudi Arabia’s first wind power plant

Gulf Haulage Heavy Lift Co. transported Saudi Arabia’s first wind power plant on 36 Scheurle SPMT axle lines and is milestone for renewable energies in the oil-rich kingdom

Safely stowed – SPMTs of the TII Group are just one of the numerous types of vehicles manufactured by the Heilbronn-based company group which are suitable for transporting wind power plants. (Image source: Scheurle)

SPMTs from Scheurle recently made a substantial contribution in the creation of a very historic moment. In the Saudi Arabian town of Dhahran, they were deployed by the Gulf Haulage Heavy Lift Co. (GHHL) to erect the first Saudi Arabian wind turbine facility. 36 SPMT axle lines moved the 58 metre long rotor blades – three of many that will follow in due course. GHHL decided in favour of using an SPMT because the route to the installation site passed through an oil refinery and featured a number of difficult passages which had to be carefully negotiated. Thanks to the comprehensive range of available electronic steering programs, SPMTs from the TII Group bring the required manoeuvrability for such difficult routes ‘ex works’. By 2023, Saudi Arabia aims to produce 9,500MW of wind and solar power. The wind turbine erected in Dhahran is the first step in this direction supplying 250 households with energy each year thus saving 18,600 barrels of oil annually, according to the company.

For meeting the diverse transport requirements present in the wind power sector, the TII Group manufactures special transport solutions such as the wind turbine blade transporter developed and patented by Scheurle. With its lifting, lowering and slewing function, this ensures easier manoeuvring in tight corners as well as on uneven terrain or reaching assembly sites situated in forested areas. “With an installation angle up to 70°, our customers can transport rotor blades virtually in an upright position using our rotor blade adapter and thus easily and safely avoid any obstacles,” explained Bernd Schwengsbier, managing director of TII Sales.

Scheurle, Nicolas, Kamag and Tiiger also offer suitable equipment for the transport of machine houses and wind tower segments. The portfolio ranges from tower adapters and supporting tips for wind tower transports, telescopic trailers for simple and economical rotor blade transports through to modular self-propelled or towed platform trailers for the transportation of nacelles.