RULING OUT DELAYS BY RULING OUT SURPRISES.

FIRSTLIGHT POWER RESOURCES PLANTNORTHFIELD, USA

DAY39

DAY25

LIFE-SIZE MOCK-UP OF TRANSFORMER

ARRIVAL AT THE UNDERGROUND POWERHOUSE

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TURNING MOUNTAINS INTO MOLEHILLS THROUGH LOGISTICAL OPTIMIZATION.

DAY39

A TIGHT FIT THROUGH THE 760 METER TUNNEL

DAY38

ARRIVAL OF TRANSFORMER AT NORTHFIELD

A Z

The FirstLight Power Resources

hydro-electric plant lies deep

inside a mountain in Northfield,

USA. Here, Mammoet had to

deliver a 255-ton transformer

from its factory in Austria on the

other side of the Atlantic.

At 215 meters underground, the

transformer had to be moved

down through a steep and narrow

tunnel. To make absolutely sure it

would fit, a test run was carried

out inside the mountain with a

full-scale wooden mock-up of the

transformer. By leaving nothing to

chance, Mammoet successfully

completed the precarious task,

keeping downtime for the plant

to an absolute minimum.

The biggest challenge of the

Northfield project was the delivery of

the transformer to its foundation bed

in the heart of the mountain. The

powerhouse where the transformer

had to be installed was 215 meters

underground at the end of a tight,

steep 760-meter tunnel. Looking to

avoid the worst-case scenario of

getting stuck halfway at all costs,

Mammoet needed a watertight plan

to safely deliver the cargo to its

extraordinary destination. But before

it came to the grand finale, the

colossus first had to be picked up at

the inland port of Linz, Austria - some

forty days earlier.

From Linz, Mammoet transported the

transformer on a barge via the River

Rhine to the port of Zeebrugge,

where it began its cross-Atlantic

journey to Newark, USA. Once the

transformer arrived at the American

port, it was transferred from ship

to a specialized railcar and then

carried across three states. Using a

purpose-built railway siding which was

constructed on the jobsite, Mammoet

then moved the transformer from the

railcar onto the trailer. To double-

check that the last leg through the

treacherous tunnel could be

successfully completed, Mammoet

had created a life-size wooden model

of the transformer. Once the dry-run

with the mock-up had been executed

without incident, Mammoet proceeded

to move the real transformer through

the narrow tunnel to safely place it

onto its foundation.

Getting stuck in the tunnel or missing

any of the many hand-over points

along the way would have resulted in

significant delays that would have

disrupted the change-out schedule of

the old transformer. In turn, this

would have lead to unwanted

downtime of the plant. But through

careful planning and managing the

entire transport chain, Mammoet

safely delivered the transformer within

the available timeframe.

RESOURCES

CRANES 2 hydraulic cranes

TRANSPORT1 railcar1 trailer16 axle lines of SPMT2 prime movers

MARITIME EQUIPMENT1 inland barge1 seagoing ship

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 1 jacking and skidding system

CREW 30 Mammoet professionals