Australian lifting specialist Marr Contracting has supplied two Favelle Favco M2480D cranes to the Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant (LSEP) near Northwich, Cheshire.
These diesel-powered cranes can lift components of up to 330 tonnes at a 15-metre radius, or 100 tonnes to a 45-metre radius with around 130 metres of hook height and no support ties.
Marr Contracting was awarded the contract to deliver specialised heavy lifting crane services for the Lostock Works site.
A joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and FCC Environment, the 60MW energy from waste (EfW) plant will have the capacity to process 600,000 tonnes of waste per year.
LSEP has appointed Black & Veatch as its engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contractor. Babcock & Wilcox Renewable has been appointed to support the delivery of the power train.
Working in conjunction with Black & Veatch, Marr developed a two-crane solution using the M2480D. The set-up offers lift capacities of up to 110 tonnes and a reach of up to 73 metres to lift the 70-tonne drum and 85-tonne boiler waterwalls.
The first erected M2480D is founded on the Marr Transit System (MTS) – a rail system that extends the reach and coverage of the tower crane over the site without any loss of capacity. The second M2480D is installed on a static base.
The solution will support Black & Veatch’s DfMA (design for manufacture and assembly) methodology by allowing larger sections of plant and equipment weighing up to 85 tonnes to be installed in fewer lifts.
“We’re excited to be working in the UK with a client like Black & Veatch who can see the benefits that the right cranage solution can deliver to a project,” said Marr’s managing director, Simon Marr. “With the ability to lift in larger, heavier components, our approach will reduce the number of lifts required, helping to deliver a safer, more productive site.”
Steve Ryder, international general manager at Marr Contracting, added: “Marr’s experience in the successful delivery of similar large-scale EfW plants in Australia and the Middle East is ideally suited to emerging trends in the UK. Larger plants demand more efficient construction solutions and can really benefit from the use of technology such as the Marr Transit System.”
The Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant is expected to be operational by 2025.
Marr currently has five of its M2480D cranes in the UK , with more expected to arrive through to 2025.
Hinkley Point C was Marr’s first UK project, a marine & tunnelling project with Balfour Beatty (2019-2021).
Marr says that the post-Brexit UK-Australia free trade agreement, signed in December 2021, has enabled Australian businesses like Marr to enter the UK market.
It says that working with Balfour Beatty on Hinkley Point has opened the door to a strong pipeline of infrastructure projects and it has more work lined up here.
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