Transportation Partners and Logistics recently completed a major project involving the installation of thousands of retrofit kits throughout the country.  

The project is called the SCR Retrofit, and the purpose of it was to install silicon-controlled rectifiers within pitch cabinets of wind turbines.

TP&L was awarded the project in December of 2021. They began the project on January 12, 2022, and completed it on July 19, 2023, compiling more than 35,000 man-hours throughout the project. It is one of the largest projects TP&L has ever completed, and it further exemplifies the standard of excellence that Transportation Partners and Logistics, as well as all of the Takkion companies, is known for. 

“We were working on another retro project referred to as the YA Plunger Retro project,” said Tyson Petersen, the Uptower Division Manager for TP&L. “That was another large campaign that we were awarded prior to the SCR Retro. And what we discovered was that we were able to perform this retro at the same time as the other one. So we kind of combined those projects together, considering the fact that our technicians were already working on one.” 

Petersen said they simply added an additional team member and were able to work on the projects simultaneously. 

“When we were awarded the SCR Retro in January of ‘22, we started to utilize people that we already had in the field,” he stated. “So it wasn’t that large of an endeavor to try to start staffing up this project. So, that was a smooth kickoff to the project. What this retrofit required was some qualified electrical workers to perform the task while up tower.” 

The task itself was relatively extensive in regards to how it applied to the turbine. Once technicians ascended the wind turbine and got inside what’s known as the hub – that’s the part the blades are attached to – they entered what are known as pitch cabinets. There were three pitch cabinets for each blade. The pitch cabinets control the angles of the blades, and the purpose of the SCR Retrofit, as mentioned, was to install the silicon-controlled rectifier within those pitch cabinets in order to alleviate some of the overages in voltage that were occurring, which would cause certain fuses within the circuitry of the cabinet. 

In total, 8,778 retrofit kits were installed in 2,926 turbines. 

“For each turbine, it requires the installation of three of those SCR’s,” Petersen stated. “And that gives a lot of context to how many retrofit kits were installed – 8,778. This was a project that was awarded when our Uptower division was still very early on in its growth and its development. And this was one of the projects that was a huge milestone for us to not only be awarded, but for the work of the technicians that they put into it. This was a project that was well out of any scope that we’ve ever performed previously, so not only did it present new challenges – but the technicians did an amazing job in regards to learning the task and building a new skill set.” 

The project, from start to finish, took 554 days, and the scope of the project included 45 different sites and 15 different states. The technicians did learn a new skill set, and each and every one of them further exemplified TP&L’s commitment to excellence. 

“They took it on, full force,” Petersen remarked. “Full force and full involvement. Ultimately, the success of this project – and there were so many different achievements – rests solely with our technicians.”

Petersen reiterated that this project was one of the biggest, if not the biggest project TP&L ever worked on, and it paved the way for future projects because the results of it were so successful. 

“This was something that we hadn’t necessarily ever taken part in before,” Petersen stated. “And it was definitely a door-opener into the industry and allowed us to really show customers that we’re able to perform and take on new tasks and challenges. All of that being said, all credit goes to the technicians and the work they performed on this. It’s very humbling to see where we are now compared to then, but I think this project, along with a few others, have really shown the industry what we’re capable of.” 

This project, the SCR Retrofit, is the latest project that truly exemplifies what Transportation Partners & Logistics can do. 

“The true success of the SCR Retro Campaign is solely attributed to all the technicians who took part and for all of their hard work on this extensive project,” Petersen said. “I am humbled to have been given the opportunity to lead such extraordinary men and women whose capabilities are a true representation of the Takkion brand.”