STOUGHTON - A massive wind turbine blade made its way north on Highway 47 on Nov. 2, and took a rest in Stoughton at the junction of Highways 47 and 13.
Kyle Harris is the project manager for Western Canada, and according to Harris, this is the largest blade ever to be made and moved in North America.
Harris, who spoke from Duluth, Minn., is responsible for the planning of this move.
Enercon Canada, located in Quebec, received the contract to build the massive blades and now they need to be moved to Jenner, Alta.
Harris said they were given one permit to start with, to see how the moving of such a large piece would work.
The permit allows them to move forward at sunrise and must be at the next destination before sunset.
These blades are 79 meters long, weigh 62,000 pounds and the connecting end measurers 4.14 meters at the girth.
Due to the weight of this gigantic load, extra wheels were added, with a pilot truck to follow. The truck has a remote control to operate the back wheels.
The 93-meter-long load will have the most difficult turn by Regina, when it must turn from Highway 33 onto the bypass. Harris said this is the only turn that may cause issues, as the turn is sharp. He said that his drivers are very skilled and the maneuver should be uneventful.
So far, the trip has gone smoothly. They received two more permits and will soon begin the move for two more blades.
A total of 126 blades will be delivered for the Jenner Wind Power Project, which will have 42 turbines.
The planning for this move has taken several months. From planning the route, to checking bridge heights and sharp turns. This was the most effective route possible.
Coming through Duluth and up through Canada made the most sense.
Swift Current was the stop on Nov. 3, which would take them eight hours to complete.
It was hoped the weather would continue to co-operate.
