Hyundai pave way for EDF Energy wind-farm project
Hyundai HL 760 wheel loader chosen for work at Fallago Rig wind farm on the Scottish Borders
A HYUNDAI HL 760 wheel loader – supplied by Cumbria-based Hyundai dealers Taylor & Braithwaite – was the machine of choice for civil engineers Waitings Drainage and Pipeline, one of 16 contractors working on the high-profile Fallago Rig wind farm project in Berwickshire, on the Scottish Borders.
Fallago Rig is EDF Energy Renewables’ most significant onshore development to date. Comprising 48 turbines with an installed capacity of 144MW, the wind farm’s annual output will be equivalent to the electricity consumption of around 90,000 homes. The site, which started generating in March and was commissioned in May, is one of the largest onshore wind farms to be built in the UK.
Construction of the main works was undertaken over a 16-month period and at its peak around 250 people worked on site each day without a reportable injury.
As the winter maintenance and access support service contractor, Waitings had the job of ensuring that permanent safe access (24h a day, seven days a week) was provided to the remote and very complex project.
Waitings director Adrian Ash explained: ‘The project was intense and we had to have a machine that was 100% reliable – and the Hyundai 760 wheel loader was extremely effective. The machine was modified with heavy-duty snow chains and fitted with a high-capacity shovel, which helped keep the site operational.
‘On some days the machine was operating during the day and through the night clearing heavy fallen snow, so the 4x4s could transport personnel to the wind farm sub-stations and turbine locations.’
He added: ‘This machine outperformed other machines in its class and was meticulously reliable in very adverse conditions. It was sometimes parked up in sub-zero temperatures for extended periods and yet it still started first time and we had no failures with this product.’
Another modification (added safety feature) to the Hyundai wheel loader was a GPS system. The roads have been mapped out on the device, allowing operators to follow the GPS in complete ‘white-outs’.
‘The GPS was 100% effective and the Hyundai performed very well with the system, as this helped to satisfy a very robust health and safety culture on site and offered the client comfort on our delivery method,’ said Mr Ash.
Ian Burton, sales director at Taylor & Braithwaite, said: ‘Waitings have a wide range of Hyundai machines, including 2.7-tonne minis, 30-tonne excavators and a wheeled excavator, in use on the Fallago Rig project.
‘The company was among the first customers to purchase Hyundai machines; we have an excellent working relationship with Waitings and are pleased to be working alongside a well-respected organization that works with major contractors in the area.’
