A video released by CGTN, the Chinese state broadcaster, shows a truck driver maneuvering a large wind turbine blade along a winding and narrow dirt road located in the Nanling Mountains, in Hunan province, southern China.
In several sections of the route, there are no side protective barriers, meaning that any directional slip could put the truck and its cargo at imminent risk of falling into a cliff.
The cargo specifications vary depending on the source consulted. The American portal Jalopnik mentions a 52-meter long blade being transported to the summit of Baoding Mountain, situated at approximately 400 meters in altitude. Meanwhile, SlashGear reported images citing a piece measuring 118 meters and weighing 40 tons.
To move loads of this size, specialized vehicles and trailers equipped with hydraulic lifting systems are used. According to the YouTube channel Trucker Culture, the base of the blade is fixed to the trailer structure, and the mechanism allows the load to be raised by up to 60 degrees.
This inclination serves to reduce the space occupied by the assembly, facilitating passage through sharp curves, steep sections, and areas with obstructions such as trees, houses, bridges, and power lines. Furthermore, it prevents the cargo from getting stuck or exceeding the road limit excessively.
Support vehicle convoys accompany the operation to identify and remove any obstacles, in addition to guiding the driver. In the most restricted points, the coordination of meticulous and precise movements is carried out through radio communication, especially when the maneuver margin is minimal.
Weather conditions represent another risk factor. Since blades are designed to capture wind, intense gusts can destabilize the cargo even during transport. At high altitudes, sudden weather changes have the potential to halt the convoy until it is safe to continue the journey.
As China is the world's largest producer of wind energy, the frequent installation of turbines in mountainous areas makes operations like this relatively routine in the country. In 2016, equipment manufacturer CIMC released a video showing the transport of 90 blades, each 52.4 meters long, to the top of Baoding Mountain in Yunnan province, at an altitude of 2,900 meters.
According to the company itself, this route contained 212 curves and ramps with an incline greater than 30 degrees, and each movement required about five hours.
More recently, in 2023, 75-meter blades were transported in a similar manner along a narrow road in Sichuan province, destined for a wind farm located at an altitude of 3,500 meters.