Fatal crawler crane overturn
July 30, 2018
A crawler crane operator has died in an incident at a wind farm in Poweshiek County, Iowa over the weekend.
Blattner Energy, which is currently installing turbines for MidAmerican Energy at the North English wind farm in Poweshiek County– has confirmed that a crawler crane operator died as a result of an incident on the project but has not released any details.
We understand however, that the crane was raising a long boom when the ground gave way under the tracks. The boom landed back on the ground with the impact causing the counterweights to crash into the operator’s cab. Although this has not been fully corroborated. We will update this as soon as we have more information that we can use.
The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office and OSHA are investigating.
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(Montezuma, IA) --
An investigation is under way after a crane worker was killed on a wind farm in Poweshiek County. Blattner Energy confirmed that an accident Saturday claimed the life of a crane operator at a construction site. Blattner is building the wind turbines for MidAmerican Energy. The company is cooperating with local authorities and OSHA in the investigation. The victim's name was not immediately released.
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North English
Where is the project?
Approximately 60 miles east of Des Moines, IA in the high-yielding corn and soybean farmlands of Poweshiek County, Iowa.
What transmission line does the project connect with?
Interconnecting to a 345 kV (MIDAM) line located in Poweshiek County.
What is the size of the project?
340 MW
What turbines are being used?
Vestas V110-2.0 MW
How many turbines are being used?
170
When will the project start operating?
North English is presently under construction. The 1st phase (200 MW) is expected to operational in 2018 and the 2nd phase (140 MW) in 2019.
Who purchased the power?
MidAmerican Energy
Who developed the project?
North English Wind Project, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tradewind Energy, Inc.
Who owns the project?
MidAmerican Energy
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North English Wind Project sold
Staff Reports, Powcr@registermedia.com
November 7, 2017
Tradewind Energy
- one of the largest independent wind and solar project development companies in the U.S. – announced the sale of the Iowa-based North English Wind Project to MidAmerican Energy Company.
The North English Wind Project is located in Poweshiek County, Iowa. Construction has begun and will be comprised of up to170 Vestas 2.0 MW wind turbines, built on 36,000 acres of participating properties, and will interconnect to the existing Montezuma 345 kV substation. Once fully constructed, the project is expected to have a capacity of up to 340 megawatts (MW) of wind energy.
“We are thrilled to support Iowa’s continued leadership in wind energy through the development of the North English Wind Project,” said Jeff Hammond, senior development manager for Tradewind. “MidAmerican Energy Company has a vision to provide 100 percent renewable energy for its customers, and it’s exciting to partner with them toward achieving that goal.”
The North English Wind Project represents an approximate $500 million infrastructure investment. This investment brings high economic impact to local schools and county infrastructure. Over the next 40 years, the North English Wind Project is expected to pay approximately $137 million to Poweshiek County in property taxes, and approximately $114 million to landowners in the form of rent payments. Additional economic benefits include more than 100 temporary construction related jobs and 12 to 15 permanent local jobs.