Largest wind turbine shipment blows into Sacramento port for project in Rio Vista

Largest wind turbine shipment blows into Sacramento port

Sacramento Business Journal - August 17, 2007

by Melanie Turner

Staff writer



Two ships have delivered wind turbine parts in the past two weeks to the Port of Sacramento, with two more shipments expected by the end of this month.

The long-anticipated deliveries are the largest shipment of wind turbine parts to the port in a single year.

The long, white towers, blades and power generators are on their way to two projects -- a Sacramento Municipal Utility District project in Rio Vista and another in Tehachapi -- said port manager Mike Luken.

The shipments, all loaded with parts from manufacturer Vestas, are coming from Denmark and Vietnam, Luken said.

Only one ship has delivered wind turbine parts to the port in each of the past three years.

The number of shipments depends on wind turbine projects scheduled and their locations, Luken said.

"They're difficult to transport," he said. "The best path of travel, we've been told, is from the port."

Once at the port, the parts are placed on long flatbed trucks that can require an escort, depending on the length of the truck, Luken said.

When the wind turbines are erected, each one will stand 415 feet tall from the base to the tip of one of three blades, or 110 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.

"We can handle very, very large pieces of equipment that can't economically be shipped by truck or rail," Luken said. "In the past, we've had large dock-making equipment, power-generation equipment and other heavy machinery."

melanieturner@bizjournals.com | 916-7859