Rattlesnake Ridge Wind Farm
Client:
RES Canada
Location:
Whitla, Alberta
Year:
2022
Project Scope
Whissell served as subcontractor for the Rattlesnake Ridge Wind Farm project near Whitla, Alberta a turnkey civil package for a 28-tower wind energy facility. The project encompassed the full civil scope from initial site preparation through to post-construction reclamation, executed over a two-year construction program.
- 28 tower foundation excavations including crane pad construction and geotechnical testing
- 10 km of new access road construction and 10 km of existing road upgrading
- Tower foundation backfill and compaction to specification
- Auxiliary works including road maintenance throughout the construction program
- Full site reclamation upon project completion
Challenge & Mitigation
The project encountered significant schedule delays driven by design changes from the turbine manufacturer and tower delivery delays that pushed the tower installation program back by a full year. Whissell managed the extended mobilization period by maintaining a flexible resource deployment strategy, redeploying equipment, and crews to other projects during the delay period and remobilizing efficiently when the tower program resumed.
Value Add Solution
Whissell's experience managing multi-year wind farm civil programs including coordination with multiple contractors across a large site footprint of approximately 20 km² allowed the team to navigate the extended schedule without cost escalation to the client. The team's proactive communication with RES/BHE Canada throughout the delay period maintained the collaborative relationship and supported a smooth resumption of construction when the tower program restarted.
