Islay Energy Trust

The wind dropped to a respectable level this morning, and the rotor and blades were lifted into place just after 9am. The Enercon construction team will finish up on site tomorrow – removng crew cabins etc. – and clear the way for the commissioning team. Electrical contractors Prelec are on site today, connecting the turbine to the substation – SSE will then complete their safety tests, and joint the cable which runs to the 11kV line. It’s all coming together!

…has to be when it’s too windy to build a wind turbine. The blades have been assembled on the ground and are currently tethered to the crane, but the installation team now need 3 hours of fairly calm weather to lift the assembly into place. The wind speed needs to drop below 6m/s – it is currently 14m/s, with stronger gusts. Great for electricity generation, just not for construction!

Thursday and Friday saw good progress on site, in relatively calm, clear weather. The tower is  complete, with the nacelle in place. The construction team is now waiting for a break in the weather to attach the blades – this needs 4-5 hours of slightly calmer weather than we have been experiencing over the weekend. Below is a selection of photos from Tony Ashworth, site foreman – I think they speak for themselves!

Friday was a busy day , with RJ McLeod and three Islay contractors once again on site, along with a fourth team from Dornoch to mix concrete! The pour went well; the shuttering will be removed in the next few days and the area backfilled.