AMERICAN CRANES & TRANSPORT
May 2016
Volume 12 ■ Issue 5
The magazine for th
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Official domestic
magazine of
the SC&RA
INTERVIEW:
John McTyre
REGIONAL
REPORT:
Canada
SITE REPORT:
Manitowoc
MLC650
performs
wind work
Spectacular!
SC&RA Job of the Year winners
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SITE REPORT LIFTING
New energy
ACT reports on how Mortenson Construction and Bigge
Crane & Rigging have teamed up with a new crane and a
new way to erect wind towers.
T
he next gold rush in American
business is the coming
transformation of its energy
supply from fossil fuel-based sources into
renewable energies.
With the recent extension of the
Production Tax Credit (PTC) and
Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for an
additional five years, companies that
construct wind and solar energy farms are
no longer facing economic uncertainty.
Bloomberg News has reported that the
extension could mean a 56 percent boost
Mortenson is
using the MLC650
with the VPC-MAX
attachment, which
increases the
crane’s capacity
from 716 to 770
tons. The luffing jib
adds an additional
331 feet to its
reach.
40
to the renewable energies industries. Many
companies have already begun gearing up
for the demand the tax credit has begun
to drive.
The increased demand will see the
construction of several new solar and
wind farms, which in turn will bolster the
need for cranes that are especially suited
for these types of construction. Poised to
take advantage of increased wind farm
construction is the Manitowoc MLC650.
With its Variable Position Counterweight
technology, the crane is designed to lower
the cost of construction.
Increasing efficiency
A current wind farm project in Texas
exemplifies the savings and efficiency
the MLC650 can provide contractors.
Minneapolis, MN-based Mortenson
Construction is the first company in
North America to use the crane with both
a VPC-MAX attachment and luffing jib.
It’s employing the crane at SunEdison’s
South Plains II wind farm in Lockney, TX,
w
where
Mortenson is
c
constructing
91 wind
t
turbines.
Steven Klatt, crane
m
manager,
said the
M
MLC650
is increasing
e
efficiency
in a variety
o ways.
of
“The MLC650 is
g
generating
results
a
above
and beyond
w we expected,”
what
s Klatt. “With the
said
V
VPC-MAX
and luffing
j we only have to
jib
m
make
one-fourth of the
l that would have
lifts
b
been
necessary with
p
previous
generations
of crawler cranes. This has dramatically
reduced the preparation time needed for
this project.”
On this project Mortenson is using a
new wind turbine construction method
that would not have been possible with
previous generations of crawler cranes,
according to Klatt. It’s building the
194-ton wind turbine assemblies on the
ground first, and then lifting the entire
unit 300 feet into the air before attaching
it to the top of the tower. This allows
assembly of the unit much faster than
in the air, reducing the number of picks
and the impact of wind on the project. If
not for the 770-ton capacity and 357-foot
reach of the VPC-MAX and luffing jib
combination, this manner of assembly
would not be possible, Klatt said.
“With this crane configuration, not only
are we much more efficient, we can better
control the quality of the turbine assembly.
Building it on the ground instead of in
the air is much easier, and the VPC-MAX
gives us more radius to work with,” he
said. “It also enables us to do just one pick
versus four – that’s pretty powerful. At
Mortenson we have a commitment to lean
innovation, and minimizing critical picks
aligns with our goal of driving waste out of
the construction process.”
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LIFTING SITE REPORT
When completed, the South Plains II Wind Farm
project will generate 300.3 MW of electricity.
The wind farm spans some 32,000 acres.
Mortenson is constructing 91 wind turbines.
The VPC-MAX reduces the ground
preparation and it keeps the crane’s
footprint more compact, allowing the crane
to maneuver better.
The MLC650’s Variable Position
Counterweight is what makes the leap
in efficiency for wind farm construction
possible. The crane’s counterweight
automatically positions itself based on
the crane’s load and radius needs. The
counterweight moves along a track,
backward and forward either toward
or away from the crane’s cab, until it’s
positioned with the correct center of
gravity for the lift.
Inherent efficiency
This technology provides several benefits.
First, the crane doesn’t need to be set up
for every individual lift on a jobsite. It can
be erected and set up initially, and then
it only needs to adjust itself for various
lifts. Second, the moving counterweight
means less overall counterweight is
needed for lifts, which in turn means less
counterweight has to be transported to the
jobsite. Because of this the crane exerts
less ground bearing pressure, decreasing
jobsite preparation. All these factors
combine with the decreased time needed
to plan lifts before a project begins.
Mortenson is using the MLC650 with the
VPC-MAX attachment, which increases
the crane’s capacity from 716 to 770 tons.
The luffing jib adds an additional 331 feet
to its reach. The VPC-MAX is a much
better option than a counterweight wagon
or tray attachment, as it reduces the
ground preparation and transport needed
for such solutions, and it keeps the crane’s
footprint more compact. This allows the
crane to maneuver better on the jobsite
and work in tighter spaces.
Klatt said the biggest challenge on wind
farm projects is walking cranes from
turbine to turbine along the jobsites,
which often stretch over several miles.
Each turbine site must be prepared for the
crawler cranes typically used, and then
there is the ground preparation needed to
walk the crane among them. The company
is moving toward a method in which the
MLC650 will use wide pads instead of the
standard track pads, negating the need to
lay crane pads down before walking the
crane.
“We built our entire schedule around
the savings in time and preparation that
the MLC650 and this new method of
wind turbine assembly afforded us,” Klatt
explained. “We will be able to complete
this entire project as planned, which not
only reduces costs on this project, it allows
us to get to the next one more quickly.”
When completed, the South Plains
II Wind Farm project will generate
300.3 MW of electricity. The wind farm
spans some 32,000 acres across flat
terrain in rural Texas. The project began
construction in July 2015 and is expected
to wrap up before the end of 2016.
Approximately 90,000 households will use
the electricity generated by South Plains
II, avoiding the emission of 1 million
tons of carbon dioxide. The project will
create some 300 construction jobs and 15
permanent jobs when completed.
Climate pledge
As a whole, the United States produced
13.2 percent of its power from renewable
sources in 2014, according to the U.S.
Energy Information Administration.
At the 2015 United Nations Climate
Change Conference, 81 U.S. companies
signed the American Business Act on
Climate pledge. These companies operate
in all 50 states, employ more than nine
million people and represent a combined
capitalization of more than $5 trillion. As
part of the pledge, these companies will
eventually purchase 100 percent of their
power from renewable energy sources,
which will surely increase the demand
for wind farms, and in turn wind farm
construction.
HP, for example, is purchasing 112
MW of energy from South Plains II to
power 100 percent of its Texas-based
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SITE REPORT LIFTING
data centers as part of the company’s
sustainable cloud business. With oil
prices near rock bottom, the increased
trend toward renewable energy will only
strengthen, improving the outlook for
North American construction companies
that operate in the sector.
“With the extension of the PTC and
ITC, we’re already seeing greater certainty
in the marketplace,” Klatt said. “Wind
turbine companies are gearing up
production in anticipation for increased
demand. This should increase business for
companies like us that work in renewable
energy construction.”
Mortenson leased the MLC650 from
San Leandro, CA-based Bigge Crane &
Rigging. The two companies have been
working together for more than eight
years. Klatt said Bigge is a great partner
for the wind energy business, thanks to its
large crane fleet and excellent customer
service.
“They always provide a great response
for our crane and service needs,” he
explained.
Bigge, celebrating its 100th anniversary
this year, is one of North America’s largest
crane rental companies. Bigge operates 12
locations across the U.S. and has a branch
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Its rental of the
MLC650 with a VPC-MAX and luffing
jib combination marks the first time that
this crane and attachment combination is
being used globally.
“There’s always uncertainty when you’re
using a new product that you don’t have
any experience with yet,” Klatt said. “But
the MLC650 with its VPC-MAX is beyond
what we expected. It’s a very mobile crane
and it operates very smoothly. It’s just a
great crane.”
Mortenson has been in business for
more than 61 years – 21 of those in the
wind energy industry. In addition to its
Minnesota headquarters, the company
has locations across the country including
Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Washington,
Wisconsin and Arizona, among many
more states. Along with its healthy energy
business, the company also has a booming
sports construction group that is building
several stadiums for the NBA, MLB and
NFL. It also works in the healthcare,
government, higher education and federal
sectors, among many others.
With so many stars aligning for the
renewable energy industry, Mortenson is
optimistic about its potential growth. And
with the increased efficiency and reduced
costs it’s garnering from a new generation
of cranes, the company will be able to
be more competitive than ever before.
That means more return on its crane
investments, increased value for customers
and cleaner energy for the continent as a
whole.
■
SPECIAL TRAILERS for the North American market!
T: +352 26 90 04 155
42
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www.faymonville.com
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