Tyrolit helps decommission wind power plant

Many wind power plants in Germany are currently being renewed, either to increase productivity or due to the extreme wear and tear caused by their exposure. Existing plants are therefore partially being decommissioned to make space for new facilities.

One decommissioning project of this kind was successfully completed in the eastern Nordrhein-Westfalen region at the start of 2020.

A special construction company from northern Germany was charged with decommissioning three outdated wind power towers. With the support of Tyrolit, the towers were cut down from 110 m (360 ft) to 40 m (131 ft). Helped by a specially constructed platform on the inside, the towers were first cut-off ring by ring, and were then removed with a crane. The wall thickness was 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) and the bundled steel reinforcement was a major challenge.

For this project, the team used two Tyrolit WSE1217 wall saws and WSL-Fast Cut wall saw blades with diameters ranging from 825 to 1,200 mm (32 to 47 in). Right from the start, the machines and tools proved to be the right choice for the task and the contractors literally worked at a very high and professional level.

Tyrolit said the project even braved the adverse weather conditions: For safety reasons, works would partially be stopped due to winds peaking up to 10 m/s and more, and temperatures would drop under -2° C, inhibiting the water supply for the cutting tasks. Nevertheless, the project could be finished within the planned timeframe without any major setbacks.