As the world turns its ambitions to wind energy, Sarens is focusing its global resources, expertise, and might to lift up the market, supporting clients from Europe to Australia. In addition to work on major projects across the globe, Sarens is also shaping the future of the wind industry with crane designs built to support powerful, next-generation turbines. 

"We are convinced that this is the future market," says Benjamin Noé, Project Manager for the Sarens Wind Division. He believes that even more wind parks will be needed to reach carbon dioxide targets. 

In Europe, for example, wind energy has already outpaced coal, and the industry is poised to invest €239 billion and employ nearly 600,000 people by 2030. The wind energy market is one of the fastest-growing and dynamic industries in the region, and the specialised Sarens wind team is poised to serve the industry with local solutions and technical capabilities that meet those evolving demands. 

Currently, Sarens works closely with two different sectors, oil & gas as well as wind energy, as wind energy isn't yet at the point where it can support all the market's energy needs. However, Noé and his team believe that this will shift with time, especially as the cost of wind energy continues to decrease. 

Major Projects and Equipment 

Sarens provides services to the wind industry worldwide, for both onshore and offshore projects. Clients turn to Sarens because of the Group's commitment to the industry and European standards, as well as fair pricing that meets clients' budget expectations. 

Some of Sarens' current and past wind projects include:  

• Afton wind farm in the UK:  Sarens is performing WTG pre-assembly and installation for the Scotland-based wind farm on behalf of client Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Operators are using two main crane setups for installation: the LG1550 (main crane) with the AC130-5 (tailing crane), as well as the LTM1800 as a lattice boom crane (main crane) with the LTM1160t (tailing crane). For offloading, the team is using the LTM1100-4L and ATF110-5G.
• Tauberbishofsheim project in Germany:  Sarens worked in the Königheim area of Germany on behalf of VESTAS Deutschland GmbH to install three WTGs that measured 149 metres high. During the month-long operation (completed in January of 2018), Sarens deployed the CC3800-1 (main crane with boom booster) and the GMK5130-2 (tailing crane). 

• Hornsdale 2 project in Australia: In the Jamestown area of South Australia, Sarens offloaded, pre-assembled, and installed 32 WTGs measuring 92.5 metres high for client Siemens Australia. For the main installation, operators used the LG1750 (main crane) with ATF130G-5 (tailing crane). The LTM 1500-8.1 (main crane) and LTM1130-5.1 (tailing crane) were used for pre-assembly, and the ATF110G-5 and GR800-EX were used for offloading the WTG components. The project took place from 2016-2017. 

• Akhfennir project in Morocco: From 2015 to 2016, Sarens installed 52 80-metre high WTGs in the Akhfennir area of Morocco, for client General Electric. For the main installation, operators used the LR1600-2W (main crane) with the 120t (tailing crane). For pre-assembly of the lower part of the WTGs, they used the LTM1400 (main crane) with the AC200 (tailing crane). 

• Vartinoja project in Finland: In 2015, Sarens worked with client ALSTOM to install nine 120-metre high WTGs. Operators used the SL3800 (main crane) and LTM1100 (tailing crane) for the main installation.

New Crane Designs 

Sarens currently uses heavy lifting LBC cranes for heavy turbines, as well as LG1750 cranes that can handle lighter loads and quickly be transferred between installation sites. One of the Group's newest cranes, the LG1750 SX, is a 750-tonne lattice boom crane recently deployed on the Sapphire wind turbine project in Australia. 

Future crane design will be inspired by the direction of turbine development: designers are working on next-generation turbines with higher hub heights, bigger rotor diameters, and stronger, heavier generators. The result will be turbines that produce significantly more energy. 

To keep up with these developments, Sarens engineers are sitting in think tanks with crane producers and turbine suppliers to align on designs that will meet the demands of the new turbines. The next generation of cranes will need to be capable of lifting heavier loads on a higher level, and being transferred quickly between sites. 

Safety Standards 

As always, Sarens is dedicated to high standards of safety on all of its work sites. The Group employs a dedicated SHEQ manager for wind projects and is committed to educating and motivating staff around safety best practices.