PNE successfully completes rotor blade transport for the "Sundern-Allendorf" wind farm

• Last of a total of 15 rotor blades reaches wind farm site
• Great interest and lively public support despite weather-related delays
• First wind turbines being prepared for commissioning

Sundern/Allendorf, 5 February 2026 – During the night of 21 to 22 January, the last of a total of 15 rotor blades for the five wind turbines at the "Sundern-Allendorf" wind farm arrived at the site. This marked the successful completion of the challenging and unusually long transport phase, which had begun in early September 2025.

Great interest and transparent information

The night-time rotor blade transports attracted great public interest along the entire route and during all 15 journeys. Numerous residents accompanied the spectacular transports, which also generated strong media coverage in the region.

In order to provide the public with transparent information, PNE set up a project website. Among other things, the planned transports were announced on this website. The very high number of visits to the site demonstrated the great interest of the population in the transports. However, due to the very short notice and weather-dependent decisions, it was not possible to provide daily updates for all 15 blade lifter journeys.

Project and construction manager Dipl.-Ing. Jens Peters emphasises: "We would like to express our sincere thanks to all residents for their understanding and consideration during the transport nights. We would also like to thank the companies involved – in particular the logistics companies Hofmann (blade lifter transport) and SLT Pusch (route expansion and transport escort) – for their dedicated and professional cooperation."

Review of extraordinary heavy-duty transports

The first transport with the blade lifter started on the night of 8 to 9 September 2025 from the transhipment area in Müschede. From there, the approximately 19.5-kilometre route led via Hachen, Sundern, Amecke and the Amecker Sorpedamm to the L 686 and on to the wind farm area.

A diesel-hydraulically powered Bladelifter (SPMT) was used to safely manoeuvre the rotor blades, which are up to almost 80 metres long, through narrow town passages and over buildings and treetops. With the aid of a lifting and rotating adapter, the rotor blades can be raised by up to 60 degrees to avoid obstacles along the route. At a speed of six to a maximum of twelve kilometres per hour, the transports moved at just above walking pace and required the utmost precision and close coordination between all parties involved.

The transport times from the transhipment area in Müschede to the "Sundern-Allendorf" wind farm – always during night-time operation windows – were significantly reduced from an initial nine hours for the first blade lift journey on 8/9 September 2025 to a final five hours for the last transport on 21/22 January 2026.

Challenging weather conditions prolonged the transport phase

The transport phase lasted a total of around four and a half months, which was significantly longer than the originally planned 2.5 to 3 months. This was due to exceptionally difficult weather conditions, including numerous days of wind failure with gusts of well over 6 m/s, frequent dense fog, black ice formation and snowfall in the Hochsauerland district.

These conditions made it necessary to plan and schedule the transports at very short notice. In some cases, transports that had already been scheduled had to be cancelled or rescheduled one to two hours in advance. The winter conditions also posed a challenge as the project progressed. Softened paths and field crossings in the wind farm access road, icy sections in the wind farm and ice formation on the rotor blades both at the transhipment area and during transport required all the experience of those involved.

The entire project team emphasises: "We are very pleased that all blade lifter transports were carried out smoothly and with great interest from local residents. We would like to express our special thanks to all road users for their patience and consideration during the transports."

Despite the challenging delays caused by weather conditions, the first wind turbines are already in the commissioning phase. The newly built Leinschede substation, located around eight kilometres from the wind farm, was successfully commissioned on 22 January 2026. In the coming weeks, all five turbines will be connected to the grid and feed clean electricity into it. All wind turbines at the "Sundern-Allendorf" wind farm are expected to be operational by the end of March 2026.

In recent days, work has also begun on dismantling the transhipment area in Müschede and the temporary slab and track panel roads in the wind farm area.