Road to renewables: Deal struck to get massive turbine parts and transformers from port to REZ

New South Wales Labor has secured a deal to ensure the state’s roads are up to the job of carrying load after load of huge and hefty wind turbine parts and massive transformers, often trucked hundreds of kilometres to their destination in regional renewable energy zones.

EnergyCo said on Monday that it has finalised a Memorandum of Understanding with Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to upgrade the state’s road network in consultation with communities, councils and road users during construction of Renewable Energy Zones.

Already, roads around Australia are being put the test by increasingly enormous wind turbine components, including 80 metre-long blades that weigh 32 tons, ferried by 92 metre-long “blade-runner” trucks that – with their load included – weigh closer to a total of 100 tons.

Transporting these blade parts, along with turbine tower parts that require a height clearance close to seven meters, is a feat of logistics that comes at a big cost to developers, often including the price of police escorts. It is also a source of concern for the communities who use the roads on a daily basis.

But as more and more major wind farms reach development stage in New South Wales, and as major grid upgrades get underway, EnergyCo wants to get ahead of the problem and prevent it from becoming another potential speed-hump to progress on renewables.

Individual developers will still be responsible for meeting each project’s road haulage requirements and mapping a feasible route from port to site.

The “Port to REZ” MoU, meanwhile, will coordinate and facilitate upgrades to road infrastructure as needed to ensure they can support the transportation of over-sized and over-mass (OSOM) components to REZs and priority transmission network infrastructure projects.

The agreement will also help identify the best routes for transportation of these enormous bits of wind farm and transmission line kit, and develop a strategy and framework to efficiently and safely manage their delivery.

“The Port to REZ MOU between EnergyCo and TfNSW is another example of how we are taking a whole-of-government and community-focussed approach to delivering a clean, reliable and affordable energy system,” said EnergyCo chief James Hay on Monday.

“It complements EnergyCo’s agreement with the Department of Planning to establish dedicated resources for assessment of major energy projects in NSW REZs, and EnergyCo’s partnership with the Port of Newcastle to understand the logistics required to support renewable energy development in NSW.”

Anthony Hayes, executive director, regional, for Transport for NSW says the “transport task” for wind and transmission projects is substantial and needs to be carefully managed.

“For many of these projects, hundreds of massive components will need to be safely and efficiently moved across our road network,” Hayes said.

“By working together, we will ensure the best routes are identified and ready to enable the manoeuvring of these key components to their destinations in the Renewable Energy Zones, with minimal impact to the community.”