The world’s largest gas turbine – measuring nearly 6m in width and weighing 496 tonnes – was transported along a 40km route in Germany, from the harbour in Kelheim to Irsching.

Since no main highways could be used due to the size of the payload, the Siemens turbine had to wind its way along the country roads which run adjacent to the Danube.  The first section was covered during the night to allow a suitable long time-slot to enable the convoy to pass a railroad crossing, for which it was necessary to cut all overhead power lines.
 
The next section was carried out in daylight, and involved driving a 5.5 km route uphill, with 1.5 km over a gradient of 8-9 per cent.  For this, transportation company P Adams, a member of the Multilift Group, decided to integrate its 430 hp self-propelled heavy-duty Goldhofer module into the existing Goldhofer combination as a back-up for the two 600 hp MAN tractor units – already being used to pull and push.  
 
Ivan Collins, Sales Director of Andover Trailers, Goldhofer’s sole distributor in the UK and Ireland, explains: “It was a mammoth job which saw a troop of workers constantly ahead of the combination, securing pedestrian refuge islands and covering weaker parts of the road with steel plates.  Every problem spot was repaired shortly before the transport arrived, including bridges being reinforced using additional steel members and traffic lights removed and then re-installed.
 
“There was some concern when it began to rain that the 120 wheels would slip on the steel plates, but the traction remained strong and the hydraulic axle compensation of +/- 300mm coped perfectly with any unevenness,” adds Mr Collins.
 
When the convoy – which measured in at 53m, with a combined total weight of 750 tonnes – arrived at the top of the steep gradient, it was able to continue its journey, before reaching the power station in Irsching, near Ingolstadt, within four days.
 
The Siemans turbine transported has an output of 340 MW, which will be upgraded to 530 MW at a later date – at which time it will be capable of producing enough power to support a city the size of Hamburg.  The new turbine sets significant advances in output, efficiency and emissions, and will reduce CO2 output by about 40,000 tonnes per year, compared with the model it replaces.