Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Glacier Hills wind turbine construction begins

Posted by Bob Zahn

The wind turbines in our Glacier Hills Wind Park are now being constructed after a slight delay. Why the delay? No joke. It was too windy.

A large, telescopic crane is being used to erect the first of 90 wind turbines in Columbia County. Eleven trains from Colorado are delivering the 148-foot-long fiberglass blades and the nacelles, which house the gearboxes and generators. More than 800 trucks will travel to the site from Manitowoc, Wis., carrying the steel tower sections, which reach 262 feet when assembled.

The project is on track to be completed by the end of the year. We developed a Wisconsin-based alliance for design and construction. The alliance includes The Boldt Co. of Appleton, Michels Corp. of Brownsville and Edgerton Contractors Inc. of Oak Creek.

The project, which was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in May 2010, will produce up to 162 megawatts, capable of providing power to more than 45,000 homes.

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