Double-ended bolts for wind turbine towers

"Ready, lift!" On October 3, on a mountain ridge in Xide County, Liangshan Prefecture, at an altitude of 3,100 to 3,400 meters, two cranes lifted the 16-meter-high wind turbine tower off the ground at the command of the on-site commander.

The first section of the wind turbine tower is being hoisted into place at the Maguoliangzi 130 MW wind power project in Xide County, Liangshan Prefecture, invested by State Power Investment Corporation and jointly constructed by China Fifth Metallurgical Construction Corporation and China Power Construction Corporation Chengdu Institute.

This project is a key project in Sichuan Province and will be the largest single-unit wind farm in Liangshan Prefecture upon completion. At the construction site, reporters saw two cranes, one tall and one short, inside the safety cordon. The taller one was the main crane, capable of lifting up to 900 tons, its hook firmly attached to the upper part of the tower; the shorter one was the auxiliary crane, capable of lifting up to 75 tons, its hook attached to the lower part of the tower. "The entire tower is about 107 meters high, composed of five sections. The first section being hoisted is 16 meters high and weighs 85.8 tons, equivalent to lifting 17 African elephants in one go," said Pan Zhenjun, the project construction manager from China Fifth Metallurgical Construction Group.

After the main crane lifted the entire tower and aligned it in mid-air, the auxiliary crane finished its work and the main crane continued to slowly move the tower, guided by the installation personnel, towards the wind turbine base. After multiple adjustments, the lower part of the tower finally connected seamlessly with the base, successfully completing the installation of the first tower section.

The 130 MW Maguoliangzi Wind Power Project in Xide County, Liangshan Prefecture, has a total installed capacity of 130 MW. The first installed wind turbine, No. 5, has a single unit capacity of 6.25 MW and a hub installation height of approximately 110 meters, equivalent to a 36-story building. During the National Day holiday, which coincided with the wind season, the project team meticulously refined specialized construction plans to address the challenges of installation. More than 150 people remained on the front lines of construction on the plateau, going all out to advance the project's progress. "After the successful installation of the first tower section, the installation of all wind turbine equipment will commence, and we expect to complete the installation of the first wind turbine in about 10 days," said Fu Xingxiang, the project manager.

The project is currently in its peak construction phase and is expected to be connected to the grid by the end of 2023. At that time, it will be able to output 308.62 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 250,500 tons.