Six wind turbines have been dismantled and prepared for recycling on Ascension Island. This is an Island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean as you probably have read in an earlier post of Business in Wind. All equipment, tools and generator had been transported beginning of March through the air to Ascension Island.
A team of Koppejan Wind Service left the Netherlands on 28th of March with destination Orlando in Florida and travelled with a military plane to Ascension Island. The first eight days after arrival they had to stay in quarantine due to local Covid regulations. After this period they could start to prepare the wind turbines for decommissioning with the use of the local cranes on the Island. Lifting plans were prepared in advance and submitted by Business in Wind, so everyone was aware of what had to be done.
Mid April another team was supposed to travel to Ascension Island to assist the decommissioning and two persons of the team that already worked on the island had to travel back to NL. So far, so good.
The morning of departure from Florida US to Ascension Island, the message came it was unclear when people were able to travel back from the Island due to changed regulation. So Wim, director of Business in Wind, made the decision better for the fresh team not to leave to Ascension Island. After a week waiting in Florida unfortunately this team had to go back to NL. That meant for the team at the Island it was unclear for them when they could leave.
The team continued with the decommissioning. All was in good cooperation with the local team and everything is stored safely and clean until transportation to be recycled.
After an uncertain periode for the team at the Island when they could fly back, the relief came Wednesday evening, six hours for departure. The team is at this moment travelling back from the Island and is expected to arrive at home again tomorrow.
All’s well that ends well. We can close this extremely challenging project and go on with our next 💪
The space created by removing these wind turbines will be used beginning of 2023 by a new EWT Wind turbine, a reliable wind turbine on such a remote location.
