Moving wind turbines is a headache: Giant new cargo plane WindRunner will take them off the roads

A giant new plane is being built to move wind turbines around the world.

Set to revolutionise the way wind turbine parts are transported, the WindRunner is specifically built to carry wind turbine blades as long as 104 metres (341 feet).

Calling itself a “catalyst in renewables”, the company behind the cargo plane hopes it will  spread low-energy electricity to far flung locations, to ‘radically expand the scope and scale of the onshore wind energy industry’. It will also allow wind turbines to be manufactured in remote locations “where the most promising resources lie”.

While extensive testing and simulations have already been conducted in wind tunnels, commercial operations are expected by late 2027.

It may seem unusual for an energy company to switch to aviation, but US-based energy company Radia created the WindRunner when it faced a problem developing its GigaWind onshore turbines. 

Most wind turbine components are transported by road on specialised trucks or by rail for longer distances. But Radia found that this wouldn’t be feasible for their super-sized turbine plans and so built a cargo plane to transport them by air instead.

Manufacturers  already struggle with transporting blades that span 70 metres (230 feet) - and can cause traffic to back up while being moved around.. Roads have to be closed, agricultural land sometimes has to be driven through to avoid narrow country roads, and a police escort is needed due to the wide, heavy-load-bearing vehicles.

The groundbreaking WindRunner aircraft will be the first to solve this logistical problem and secure the future of giant wind turbines with blades that span a vast 104 metres (341 feet). This will allow wind farms to become more cost-effective.

Before deciding on a