Neptunus builds bespoke temporary warehouse for UK’s biggest ever offshore wind turbine project
A leading global provider of wind power products and service solutions has pioneered the world’s first totally recyclable wind turbine blades, manufactured at their factory in the UK.
This company is responsible for supplying cutting-edge turbine blades to one of the world’s leading energy companies, which is building a giant offshore wind farm for the UK Government in the North Sea at Dogger Bank, about 195 kilometres off the north-east coast. One of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, it will be capable of generating enough clean, renewable energy to power the equivalent of approximately 1.2 million homes every year.
Vital to the project are the 108-metre-long blades that are attached to the 100 x 14 megawatts (MW) offshore wind turbines at the heart of the scheme. The state-of-the-art turbine blades are made at the factory, where they need to be stored on the quayside for transportation to the wind farm site.
Temporary structure specialists Neptunus were appointed to build a giant warehouse where turbine components necessary for the completion of the programme can be held in readiness for transit across the North Sea. Neptunus has previously provided services for projects in The Netherlands, where Neptunus’ headquarters are based.
The Solution
The solution was a temporary warehouse utilising Neptunus’ own state-of-the-art technology in the shape of a clear span Evolution 1 structure measuring 30 metres x 60 metres with an internal clearance of 10.5 metres. Neptunus’ inhouse design team worked incredibly hard to create a temporary building able to withstand the challenges of the dockside location which included additional bracing and panel sills incorporated into the Evolution structure to cope with the challenging weather conditions along the north-east coast.
It took a 16-strong crew of technicians just three weeks to construct. The temporary building comes with electrical services and a bespoke 10-metres wide and 7-metres high secure roller shutter door for easy access for the enormous wind turbines.
Importantly, and in keeping with their client’s own commitment to producing fully recyclable wind turbine blades for the project, Neptunus’ Evolution structure will be dismantled at the end of the three-year hire period to be reused for other projects requiring a temporary facility. Though the Evolution is ideal for providing warehouse space, the fully sustainable aluminium frame can be adapted for multiple uses including temporary offices, retail premises, showrooms, sports halls, conference, exhibition and events spaces.
In the UK Neptunus has built temporary warehousing for a variety of storage requirements including electrical/white goods, vehicles, consumable items and high value historical artifacts and fine art. A number of these projects involve highly specialised space requirements that need heating and humidity controls while offering clients a secure storage environment.
The Challenge
The site itself presented significant challenges in terms of the construction process, and Neptunus collaborated closely with the client’s team to ensure exceptionally high standards were met and adhered to throughout. The build was undertaken on the dockside at Hull, one of the UK’s busiest trading routes to Northern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Baltics. It is also the UK’s leading port for timber transportation.
Seventeen truckloads of equipment had to be delivered for the assignment, with technicians working within the confines of a secure dockyard, carrying out the high-speed construction safely and efficiently—often in challenging wet and windy weather conditions.
The Verdict
Paul Clapham, Real Estate Project Manager for Siemens, said: “Neptunus were a pleasure to work with, they understood the needs of our business from design stage, construction and through to completion. Communication was efficient and adherence to our stringent Port side H&S requirements was exemplary throughout the construction phase. Customer focus, flexibility and a quality product, I would be happy to work with Neptunus again.”
