4 March 2026: Karreebosch Wind Farm Achieves First Star Lift Milestone
Karreebosch Wind Farm, South Africa, located near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, has achieved a significant construction milestone with the successful completion of its first wind turbine star lift, marking the transition from structural installation toward operational energy generation.
Precision Engineering in Turbine Installation
Wind turbine erection is a tightly sequenced engineering process requiring coordination across multiple technical disciplines. At Karreebosch, installation progressed through:
- Assembly of four tower sections to a 100-metre hub height.
- Installation of the nacelle and generator.
- Execution of the Star Lift – the installation of the fully assembled rotor (hub and blades).
During the Star Lift, the hub and three blades are pre-assembled at ground level and lifted as a single unit using heavy-lift crane systems before being secured to the nacelle at hub height. This operation demands narrow wind-speed tolerances, precision rigging design, and strict safety governance.
Turbine specifications:
- Rated Capacity: 6.0 MW per turbine
- Tower Height: 100 m
- Rotor Diameter: 165 m
The component weights underscore the scale of the operation:
- Generator: 117 tons
- Nacelle: 43 tons
- Hub: 57 tons
“The Star Lift represents one of the most technically demanding moments in wind farm construction. It signals that planning, engineering, logistics, and safety systems have aligned successfully. Milestones such as the Star Lift demonstrate the engineering capability being deployed locally.”
Read more here: https://www.miningweekly.com/article/karreebosch-wind-farm-achieves-first-star-lift-milestone-2026-03-11