The supertruck was down to walking pace as it climbed Turntable Hill. Picture / Peter de Graaf
The biggest thing ever transported on Northland roads, which will form a key part of Top Energy's new geothermal power station at Ngāwhā, made a show (and traffic) stopping sight as it rumbled up SH1 last week.
The 90-tonne, 20.5m heat exchanger made was transported on an 18-axle, 144-wheel trailer
pulled by two trucks and pushed by a third.
Even with all that pulling and pushing power, the 'supertruck' was down to walking pace as it travelled through Kawakawa and Moerewa, and climbed Turntable Hill, accompanied by a fleet of support vehicles.
The heat exchanger arrived by ship at Northport and was transported 120km to Ngāwhā by Palmerston North firm PTS Logistics.
Top Energy chief executive Russell Shaw said the Israeli-built heat exchanger, or pre-heater, would be used to extract energy from geothermal fluid drawn from deep underground. Heat from the fluid would turn pentane into a high-pressure gas, which would spin a series of turbines, which would turn a generator, making electricity.
