Major milestone met on Pole 3 project
7 June 2011
The Haywards roof is put in to place
Two highly choreographed operations lifted and secured the roof for each new HVDC Pole 3 building at Benmore and Haywards substations. The Benmore lift occurred 19-20 May and Haywards during 31 May–1 June.
The buildings and roofs are built to the same specifications at each site. Each roof was pre-assembled on site into two parts and weighs a total of 145 tonnes. A 280 tonne capacity crane was needed to lift, move and lower each piece into place.
Transpower’s General Manager Grid Projects Mike Carter said the roof is a valuable component for the whole Pole 3 project and completing the lifts successfully achieved a major milestone for the project.
“Given the size and weight of the structures, the roof lift was a delicate operation that required months of planning. We needed to ensure all aspects of the job were undertaken safely and effectively and we worked closely with all parties involved.”
“The two parts of the roof had to be lowered perfectly onto pre-drilled bolt holes – at 145 tonnes it’s not something that could be nudged into place. Thanks to good planning, and the experience of the 10-20 people overseeing the operations, each lift went seamlessly.”
The roof is an important part of the valve hall building as it must support around 50 tonnes of equipment - the three valves weigh 17 tonnes each – as well as its own 145 tonne weight.