Tensar International, a global leader in soil-reinforcement and ground stabilisation technology, is celebrating 20 years of working on some of the world’s most challenging and prestigious wind farm projects.
The Blackburn-based company has seen increasing demand for its products from the renewable energy sector in recent years, and in particular its unique TriAx® mechanically stabilised geogrid, which is ideally suited to the creation of temporary access roads in difficult to reach areas.
Landmark wind farm projects which Tensar has delivered innovative solutions for include Whitelee Wind Farm in Scotland and Fântânele-Cogealac Wind Farm in Romania, hailed Europe’s largest onshore wind farm.
In both projects Tensar’s TriAx range was specified to create safe new access roads and working platforms capable of supporting heavy trafficking.
Its popularity is unsurprising considering the impressive benefits which can be generated. The use of TriAx geogrid reduces construction thicknesses by up to 50%, along with the materials and excavation required, while reducing long term maintenance costs and carbon emissions from vehicles to site.
Colin Thompson, Tensar International’s specialist commercial wind farm manager, says: “We are delighted to mark such a landmark anniversary for our wind farm division. Not only have we developed and refined our ground stabilisation product offering over the past two decades, but we have also amassed a vast amount of knowledge in relation to the challenges and requirements surrounding onshore wind farm site access. This insight and supporting expertise is becoming as valuable to our customers as the products we produce and with a number of exciting projects on the horizon we are looking forward to adding value to wind farm construction for many more years to come.”
The way wind farms operate, and the sheer amount of space necessary to house such a project, means that sites are often in vast, remote locations with limited existing access roads.
Given the size and scale of equipment, machinery and workforce needed to bring such a project to life, it is vital that a quality ground stabilisation solution is selected to create access roads and lifting platforms.
Colin continued: “Although the road network on a wind farm may only form a small proportion of the overall value of the project, the designed access roads will, and do, play a very important part. Inadequate designs can cost a project dearly in terms of cost, time and labour – it’s up to the various parties involved to ask themselves if this is a risk worth taking.”
With the number of wind farm projects in the UK set to rise in the coming years as the government seeks to reach renewable energy targets, Tensar expects its products to become even more widely used in wind farm applications.