These 45 metre wind turbine blades are being transported across the Cheshire Motorway network this week

Construction has begun at Frodsham Wind Farm in Cheshire with the first delivery of Nordex wind turbine components planned for Tuesday 12 April.

The delivery of three 45m turbine blades represents the beginning of a fifteen week delivery phase, which will see the transportation of components for all nineteen wind turbines from the Port of Liverpool to the site. Between Tuesday 12 April and Friday 15 April, three blades will be delivered each day.

A number of minor works are being carried out at certain locations along the delivery route, to ensure the safe and efficient movement of components and equipment. This will also help to minimise the length of time the roads are occupied, lessening possible delays for road users.

The 50.35MW Frodsham Wind Farm is the second Peel Energy project supplied by Nordex and sees the first deployment of its newly developed 2.65MW turbines.

Development Director at Peel Energy, Jonathan England, said: “Being able to make such extensive use of the motorway network is ideal. These roads regularly handle large loads from the Port of Liverpool and will allow us to get nearly all the way to our site without touching the local road network.

“We’ve worked hard on the transportation scheduling to ensure that there will be minimal disruption to road users during this phase of Frodsham Wind Farm’s development.”

The delivery of the blades, which are the largest single components, will be assisted by Cheshire Constabulary escort vehicles and will take place outside of peak hours. No other components require a police escort. All parts will be delivered to the site by Collett & Sons Ltd which has worked with Peel Energy before on its Scout Moor Wind Farm development. The delivery will see blades leave the Port of Liverpool and use the motorway network to get to the site (M57, M62, M56).

Sales Manager for Peel Ports, Ashley Piper, said: “After months of planning, it’s excellent to see this project becoming a reality. It demonstrates how the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal is equipped to handle such significant loads and provide excellent accessibility to the road network, with 10 motorways within 10 miles. This, coupled with our expertise, has helped to make this project a success.”

Jonathan added: “We’ve agreed with Cheshire Constabulary that for loads requiring a police escort, the convoy’s size will be limited to two vehicles only and that no more than three component deliveries will be made on any given day. This will further reduce potential disruption.”

Peel Energy will continue to work with community representatives through its Liaison Committee to keep people informed as the project progresses. The project’s website will also be kept up to date to provide regular news on the delivery schedule and general information about the progress of works.