All Services / Industrial & Environmental

Forty Mile Wind Farm

Location:

Lethbridge Region, Alberta

Year:

2023-2025

Project Scope

As General Contractor on the Forty Mile Wind Farm project, Whissell executed full civil works for 49 wind turbine sites across a large-scale agricultural landscape near Lethbridge, Alberta, between June 2023 and July 2025. The scope encompassed 270,000 cubic metres of earthworks, construction of laydown yards, heavy-haul roads to support turbine component transport, and specialized crane pads designed to the load-bearing requirements of large turbine erection cranes. Comprehensive reclamation works were also executed following the construction phase to restore disturbed agricultural land to pre-construction conditions.

  • Civil works for 49 wind turbine sites; 270,000 m³ of earthworks
  • Heavy-haul road construction to turbine bearing capacity specifications
  • Specialized crane pad construction for turbine erection equipment
  • Laydown yard development and site logistics management
  • Comprehensive agricultural land reclamation following construction phase

Challenge & Mitigation

Constructing heavy-haul road corridors and crane pads to precise bearing capacity specifications across agricultural terrain with variable subgrade conditions, while coordinating construction activities around the delivery schedules of major turbine components and multiple simultaneous subtrades, required disciplined phased planning. Whissell's project team developed a phased road construction and subgrade improvement program that prioritized the most critical turbine access routes, allowing component deliveries to proceed on schedule while earthworks continued on remaining sites.

Value Add Solution

Whissell's self-performance of all civil earthworks, roads, pads, laydown yards, and reclamation, under a single General Contractor contract eliminated interface risk between civil trades and turbine erection crews. The project was completed on time and within budget, establishing Whissell as a proven civil contractor for utility-scale wind energy development in Southern Alberta.