Keeping your wind farm project moving smoothly and according to schedule is our priority. North Coast assigns a project superintendent to be onsite at all times to not only manage our working crews but also track progress and provide the project team with the Plan of the Day (POD), as well as other safety and progress documents that may be needed.

Our project superintendents:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the project team
• Supervise our crews
• Ensure that component removal is on schedule
• Minimize disruption to the installation teams
• Manage PODs, incident reports and other documentation
• Ensure the removal of any spills and debris
• Walk the site with the project team prior to demobilization
• Attend all onsite meetings

Our wind turbine project management team also includes a safety manager responsible for the safety and supervision of all North Coast personnel and subcontractors, and a logistics coordinator responsible for managing all trucks onsite.

North Coast Enterprise sends seasoned experts to your site for WTG component removal. Our crews separate components—hub, drivetrain, generator, nacelle, etc.—using high-torque equipment and hand tools, always with the mindset of applying the least invasive methods possible. Mechanical separation helps us prepare components for safe and economical loadout and transport, and torch cutting is used to prepare tower sections for removal.

For metal component loadout, North Coast provides:

• Engineered lift plans for all components prior to loading
• Component disassembly and separation of steel, fiberglass, copper wire and aluminum
• Cranes, flatbed trucks, lowboy and dump trailers, and other loadout equipment and vehicles required to fulfill the scope of work
• Transportation to processors/mills
• Detailed tracking for all metal components removed from the site
• Light and heavy scale tickets for each load to facilitate tracking and scrap rebate calculations
• Cleanup and treatment of any oil or hazardous fluid spills or leaks caused by our activities
• Fire watch, safety and spill prevention personnel to ensure the safety of our crews and the worksite

Wind turbine blade recycling and disposal are of huge concern to the industry and the public right now. North Coast addresses fiberglass recycling and disposal through a recycle-and-reuse philosophy that drives us to continually seek innovative solutions that minimize the amount of fiberglass waste going into landfills. We collaborate with a network of processors and recyclers across the country who are working to identify beneficial reuses of fiberglass waste and recycling these materials to fulfill their new purposes.

In the process of wind turbine component removal, North Coast cuts towers and blades into manageable sections utilizing custom-built diamond-rope or concrete saws that cut the fiberglass quickly, with minimal dust and impact to the project site.  These short sections are then easy to load and transport to the processing facility, where they are further processed and recycled through pyrolysis or cement kiln consumption.

Energetic felling can be a safe, fast and cost-effective option for full-project or individual decommissioning or replacement. Through energetic felling, a wind farm can be prepped and felled in just days, and removal of components can begin immediately. If you’re decommissioning a single tower—e.g., following damage from a critical event—felling can be completed in a fraction of the time it would take with a crane.

Safety is our top priority in any felling project. We partner with some of the most well-respected explosives contractors in the country to ensure compliance with safety protocols, as well as state and local regulations. We manage the process from end-to-end, from pre-burn activities—e.g., providing engineered plans to ensure tower stability throughout the felling process, draining oil and cutting towers according to the detailed demolition plan—through final burn and felling support.

Once the towers are safely on the ground, our teams go to work, separating nacelle and tower components, and loading out materials for processing and recycling. Our final cleanup includes disposal of any fluid spills and walking the site to handpick any remaining debris.