Multifaceted Solution Provides Seamless and Early Delivery of Eight Mega Wind Turbines

Over the next year, ATS advisers would make multiple trips to the island to gather precise measurements, pictures and drone footage of the port, laydown yard, highways and site roads. All of this data went into an extensive report, which played a critical role in the developer obtaining HDOT approval and permits to execute the required road modifications (including but not limited to widening turns, trimming trees and relocating several utility poles).

ATS’ technical experts also provided substantial oversight in the civil design of the site roads. The access roads directly leading from public highways were minimum maintenance dirt roads that required significant improvement to safely support the transports. Negotiations with landowners made this a lengthy process, requiring numerous re-designs. Still, our technical experts remained flexible and provided the developer with multiple options for safe transport of the turbine components to each pad-site location.

ATS was officially awarded the project in January of 2019 and immediately began preparing for execution.

Hands-On Training Sets the Customer up for Success

Hauling wind components is a highly complex job that requires extensive coordination. For this project, not only was a staging area for storing the oversized components necessary, but they also needed to be delivered just-in-time (JIT). Because there isn’t specialized wind equipment on the island, ATS had to send its own. And to ensure a safe and successful outcome, ATS hosted its Hawaii carrier partners at its headquarters in Minnesota for 10 days of hands-on training to teach them how to haul the specialized equipment needed for the components.

Without that training, “It would’ve been a very different story,” said Cassie Olsen, pricing analyst supervisor for ATS Projects. “It definitely contributed to the success of the overall project.”

During that time, the ATS team made several visits to Hawaii to further align their resources and service providers in preparation for the September start.

Along the way, as challenges presented themselves (e.g., equipment issues and schedule adjustments), ATS worked diligently with all parties involved to deliver the remaining balance of the components (nacelles, drive-trains, hubs, and blades) in a safe and expedited manner — meeting the customer’s deadline a day early with zero claims.

Behind-the-Scenes Collaboration Leads to a Safe and Early Arrival

Given the time zone difference between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii, it was imperative that ATS had multiple representatives on the island for both operational and commercial activities to ensure the right resources were available on-site throughout the duration of the project. This provided the customer with total peace of mind because they didn't need to worry about coordinating any of it.

The customer’s confidence allowed ATS teams to seamlessly collaborate behind the scenes. Project planners and resource allocation worked with project management and administration to ensure equipment was delivered to and from the ports of departure and arrival. In the end, the turbine components were delivered to the Na Pua Makani wind farm safely and ahead of schedule.