For well over a decade, Borger Crane Hire and Rigging has made significant investments in its fleet, enhancing the business’ capabilities for wind farm construction and maintenance. The latest project, in the Western Downs Region of Queensland, is putting these capabilities to the test. Borger Cranes’ Project Manager, Jon Gibbin explains.
Wambo Wind Farm is a renewable energy generation project located near Jandowae, at a site chosen for its excellent wind resources and grid connectivity. The project is a 50:50 joint venture between Cubico Sustainable Investments, a major investor in the renewable energy sector globally, and Stanwell, a Queensland Government-owned electricity generator.
Consisting of 42 wind turbines, the farm’s first stage added 252 megawatts (MW) of clean energy to Queensland’s energy system. The second stage will generate an additional 254 MW of clean energy from 41 wind turbines. When complete in 2026, both Stage one and Stage two will generate more than 500 MW. Stanwell’s share of Wambo Wind Farm is backed by a $455.8 million investment from the Queensland Government’s Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund.
The resources required on the project are significant.
“Currently, this is one of the largest wind farm projects in the country and it has taken a significant amount of resource to manage the construction timelines,” said Jon Gibbin, Project Manager for Borger Cranes. “We have a crew of 30 plus working on the project including operators, riggers, safety officers and supervisors.
“We are currently operating two Liebherr LG 1750, 750t capacity lattice boom mobile cranes, a Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1, 700t capacity all-terrain, three Liebherr LTM 1250-5.1 and two Liebherr 1220, 220t capacity crawlers.”
Borger Crane Hire’s Liebherr LG 1750 combines the best of two worlds – the lattice boom mobile crane has the flexibility of a 750-tonne crawler crane, combined with the mobility of a high-speed mobile crane. This makes it the largest and strongest lattice boom mobile crane in the world and unrivalled in the market.
With a maximum hoist height of 193 metres, its high mobility and carrying capacity were decisive factors for Borger Crane Hire and Rigging Services in purchasing the LG 1750.
Having the chassis of an all-terrain crane, the bottom part of the 8-axle crane is self-driving to any application site. Compared to a crawler crane, this reduces transport vehicles, thereby saving time and costs.
Its vehicle width of less than three metres is an advantage. This chassis, combined with a strong lattice boom of a crawler crane, makes the crane particularly powerful. The components can also be transported economically thanks to its transport weight of less than 45 tonnes.
That makes the compact lattice boom mobile crane ideal for fast erection work for wind farm construction, industrial construction or infrastructure work.
There is a large selection of boom configurations for the LG 1750 which have been specially enhanced for deployment in the wind industry. The latest generation of wind turbines, with hub heights of up to 170 metres, can be erected using the SX system. For Borger Crane Hire and Rigging Services, the main areas of application for the eight-axle will be in the wind segment and infrastructure projects.
With so many large capacity cranes on site, the amount of supporting equipment required is also significant said Jon.
“To support the cranes, we have eight prime movers on site as well as 16 semi-trailers and flat tops, one 5×8 dolly and float, two tele handlers, six elevated work platforms, 10 Ford Ranger utes, and a 13,000-litre capacity on site fuel tank plus a refuelling trailer,” said Jon.
As Shawn Borger, Borger Crane Hire and Rigging’s General Manager has said in the past, the continual investment in the crane fleet is critical to the business.
“By investing in the latest technology, we can provide our clients with a complete package of cranage options. We see this as critical for our clients,” said Shawn. “We also invest in the latest and safest cranes for the benefit of our employees. Our operators and operational crews love the new equipment and always look after the gear as if it were their own. Our investment strategy also helps to attract new staff and retain existing crews.
“With the new technology, our crews are confident of completing the task safely because new equipment minimises breakdowns, eliminating the frustrations of not finishing the job on time. Wherever possible, our crews take pride in delivering our projects on time and in full.”