Each wind turbine is bolted to what is known as a gravity foundation.
These foundations are carefully designed and built taking in to account many factors including the ground conditions on which each is built. The design and build of these foundations is critical to ensure that the turbines are securely supported and that the combined structure can withstand the forces generated by the wind.
Each foundation began as a large excavation within which a flat 'blinding' concrete base was poured to ensure that the turbines were installed on a level platform.
A reinforced steel frame was then built by hand at each location comprising of around 105 tonnes of steel rebar. The frames were then filled with concrete (around 1700 tonnes in total) which was poured continuously until the base was complete to maximise the quality and strength of the foundation.
Once the concrete had been poured and set, the excavation was then backfilled with aggregate, adding significant additional weight to the foundation structure with which to support the wind turbine.
The completed flat platform then provided storage space for the wind turbine components and a strong level 'crane pad' from which the installation teams could set up and operate their heavy lift cranes and other lifting equipment during turbine installation.
