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TRANSCRIPT
RULING OUT DELAYS BY RULING OUT SURPRISES.
FIRSTLIGHT POWER RESOURCES PLANTNORTHFIELD, USA
DAY39
DAY25
LIFE-SIZE MOCK-UP OF TRANSFORMER
ARRIVAL AT THE UNDERGROUND POWERHOUSE
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TURNING MOUNTAINS INTO MOLEHILLS THROUGH LOGISTICAL OPTIMIZATION.
DAY39
A TIGHT FIT THROUGH THE 760 METER TUNNEL
DAY38
ARRIVAL OF TRANSFORMER AT NORTHFIELD
A Z
The FirstLight Power Resources
hydro-electric plant lies deep
inside a mountain in Northfield,
USA. Here, Mammoet had to
deliver a 255-ton transformer
from its factory in Austria on the
other side of the Atlantic.
At 215 meters underground, the
transformer had to be moved
down through a steep and narrow
tunnel. To make absolutely sure it
would fit, a test run was carried
out inside the mountain with a
full-scale wooden mock-up of the
transformer. By leaving nothing to
chance, Mammoet successfully
completed the precarious task,
keeping downtime for the plant
to an absolute minimum.
The biggest challenge of the
Northfield project was the delivery of
the transformer to its foundation bed
in the heart of the mountain. The
powerhouse where the transformer
had to be installed was 215 meters
underground at the end of a tight,
steep 760-meter tunnel. Looking to
avoid the worst-case scenario of
getting stuck halfway at all costs,
Mammoet needed a watertight plan
to safely deliver the cargo to its
extraordinary destination. But before
it came to the grand finale, the
colossus first had to be picked up at
the inland port of Linz, Austria - some
forty days earlier.
From Linz, Mammoet transported the
transformer on a barge via the River
Rhine to the port of Zeebrugge,
where it began its cross-Atlantic
journey to Newark, USA. Once the
transformer arrived at the American
port, it was transferred from ship
to a specialized railcar and then
carried across three states. Using a
purpose-built railway siding which was
constructed on the jobsite, Mammoet
then moved the transformer from the
railcar onto the trailer. To double-
check that the last leg through the
treacherous tunnel could be
successfully completed, Mammoet
had created a life-size wooden model
of the transformer. Once the dry-run
with the mock-up had been executed
without incident, Mammoet proceeded
to move the real transformer through
the narrow tunnel to safely place it
onto its foundation.
Getting stuck in the tunnel or missing
any of the many hand-over points
along the way would have resulted in
significant delays that would have
disrupted the change-out schedule of
the old transformer. In turn, this
would have lead to unwanted
downtime of the plant. But through
careful planning and managing the
entire transport chain, Mammoet
safely delivered the transformer within
the available timeframe.
RESOURCES
CRANES 2 hydraulic cranes
TRANSPORT1 railcar1 trailer16 axle lines of SPMT2 prime movers
MARITIME EQUIPMENT1 inland barge1 seagoing ship
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 1 jacking and skidding system
CREW 30 Mammoet professionals