Transportation for Warradarge was executed in parallel with the Yandin Wind Farm out of the same port and with the same client, effectively combining the two projects into a single 102-turbine project but with double the complexity. Double the cargo, double the equipment, double the storage requirements, double the pressure!

As if the requirement to deliver two projects at once wasn’t enough, 2020 proved to be quite a year. Major bushfires in Western Australia delayed deliveries to site around December 2019-January 2020. Then storms and heavy rainfall wreaked havoc on the site entry road to Warradarge, closing it to all heavy traffic for one week in February.

To top it all off, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, requiring brand new protocols, PPE and permits to work.  Transport was fortunately categorised as an essential service so disruption to deliveries was kept to a minimum.

The transport route took components around the main metro area of Perth and onto the Brand Hwy northwards to site, with a short detour for blades and over-height components due to a low overpass.

Midway through the project, the final northern section of the Northlink WA project was opened, providing a simpler and easier route out of Perth which our deliveries were able to make great use of.

The combination of Warradarge and Yandin into one transport project resulted in an unprecedented demand of 5 complete wind turbines per week. This required exceptional coordination, management and efficiency by the whole ARES team, from loading and unloading operations at the port, permits and site supervisors. At the peak of both projects, ARES was delivering a total of 15 blades and 35 tower sections each week – an amazing achievement and comfortably the highest run rate ever transported for wind turbines. 

Underpinning it all was an unflinching focus on HSE and industry-best safety practices. The reward was two major projects successfully delivered without any major safety incidents.