Sarens recently completed Phase II expansion work at the Wapiti Gas Plant, a liquid handling and gas processing facility in Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada. This included installing modules, towers, and vessels on behalf of the project owner, Keyera Partnership. The project began in July of 2019 and finishes in April of 2020.

To complete the installation work, Sarens deployed the following equipment:

• 1x Demag AC 500-2
• 1x Liebherr LTM 1400-7.1
• 3x Tadano GR 1000XL
• 1x National 30100C
• One prime mover

The large ATs came out of Europe through the Port of Halifax, then via rail into Edmonton, and finally on low-bed transport to the site, which took several weeks.

“The remote site location, along with weather and road conditions, affected access,” says project manager Drew Ferris. “Due to heavy rain over the summer and fall months, the roads and site were mostly deep mud.”

Because the project site is located approximately 40 kilometres down a haul road and an hour away from the nearest town, Sarens was required to coordinate among multiple parties to ensure delivery timelines and schedules were met. One of the biggest hurdles, however, was the uncertainty of rail delivery schedules, which postponed the arrival of both cranes.

Once on site, the cranes were assembled and annual structural inspections completed so that work could begin. Both the AC 500-2 and LTM 1400-7.1 made significant lifts in excess of 100 tonnes, and performed flawlessly under the control of experienced operators and supervisors. 

There were 40 critical lifts planned and executed on site, ranging from 3m x 3m equipment skids weighing 9 metric tonnes to 23m x 6m process skids weighing 108 tonnes. The project consisted of two main units for the expansion, and as Sarens installed equipment the units gradually became smaller, which required that special attention be paid to swing radii and clearances. As a result, the crew moved all the cranes around on a regular basis.

Sarens completed the heavy lift package with a contractor tower measuring 3 metres wide and 27 metres tall, and weighing 188 tonnes. This was installed with the LTM 1400-7.1.

Because work took place in an operational gas plant, it required H2S Alive training. At the project’s peak, Sarens had two supervisors and eight operators working on a three shift rotation.

Sarens is proud to have been involved in this important project and commends everyone involved on their valuable contributions.