2008 Commercial

Tatanka Wind Farm

The Tatanka Wind Farm Project is located approximately 32 miles southwest of the City of Ellendale near the border between North and South Dakota. This project was setup to be a “fast-track project”, which required intensive scheduling, seven day-a-week work and large commitment of man-power and resources. All concrete for the wind towers was to be completed in 21/2 months. The project consisted of deep foundations for 120 wind towers. Each tower required three concrete pours. The first was a mud mat which consisted of 18 cubic yards of low strength concrete. The second pour was a 5000 psi footing base involving 232 cubic yards. The final pour was a 5000 psi pedestal pour taking 36 cubic yards. Total concrete required for each tower was 286 cubic yards. One of the main obstacles of the job was the remoteness of the construction site. Crews were housed away from home for much of the project. Finding proper living quarters in the local communities for the concrete crews was difficult in light of the hundreds of construction workers on the project competing for living space. The City of Ellendale and other towns-people did a very gracious job in making everyone feel as comfortable as possible during the intensive project time. In all, 14 truck drivers, batchmen, loader operators, and supervisors were on the job for the entire 2 1/2 months. Due to the “mass concrete” nature of the project, very cold water was necessary for almost all concrete batched. Using a water chiller to reduce water temperature as warm as 80 degrees F down to the low 40’s was a complication. Quality control was efficient and almost all concrete met the strict standards as required by the specifications. The concrete supplier would like to recognize the M. A. Mortenson Co. for their job well done. A job of this size, far from home, and with troublesome excessive rainfall during the project, ended with a difficult but successful effort.

Owner: Acciona Wind Energy of North America	Supplier: Aggregate Industries, Inc.
Construction Manager: M. A. Mortenson	Sub-Contractor: Ventus Energy Systems