South Korean Generators for Detroit's Fermi Nuke Plant Shipped via Lake Erie

Interesting to see how nuclear power plant equipment travels the world and right by Erie.

Port of Toledo chosen to handle heavy cargo
2 South Korean transformers destined for Fermi plant

The first of two electrical transformers is unloaded from the M.V. Jumbo Spirit at the Port of Toledo for Newport, Mich. ( THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG ) Zoom | Photo Reprints

By DAVID PATCH
BLADE STAFF WRITER

When Don Johnson scouted western Lake Erie ports for places to unload two huge transformers destined for Detroit Edison's Fermi 2 nuclear generating plant north of Monroe, he checked Detroit and several smaller ports. But only the Port of Toledo had the wharf space and the on-dock rail access he sought for the heavy-lift cargo. So, Toledo was where the two transformers, built in South Korea and shipped around the world and through the St. Lawrence Seaway, were hoisted from the M.V. Jumbo Spirit's hold and deposited on solid ground yesterday. The larger of the two, weighing 513 tons, was rigged into a special heavy-duty railcar for movement, starting today, to the power plant in Frenchtown Township, while the second, coming in at a paltry 404 tons, is to finish its journey next week. "This is a very efficiently run, modern port," Mr. Johnson, the vice president of Gulf Logistics & Projects Co., Inc., based in Houston, said while watching a combination of longshoremen, contractor employees, and ship's crew unload the larger transformer yesterday morning. In particular, Mr. Johnson cited dock-space availability and reasonable labor costs as reasons for choosing Toledo over alternatives. The only problem with Toledo is that the Great Lakes don't have scheduled ships for "break-bulk" cargoes, like the big transformers, he said - but if the shipment is lucrative enough, a vessel can be chartered, as in the current case.

The 513-ton transformer is loaded onto a specialized railcar, known as a Schnabel car, that has 20 axles. Zoom | Photo Reprints

Mr. Johnson has plenty of opportunities to see how ports handle cargoes like the big transformers - his firm manages several such shipments a month, including an upcoming delivery of nine transformers to Houston that will be distributed to six midwestern destinations. "The whole country built a wonderful electrical system 50 years ago, but transformers wear out and need to be replaced," said Mr. Johnson, who sees potential for more such shipments through Toledo. Thomas Kaercher, Jr., a sales representative for transformer manufacturer Hyundai Heavy Industries, said the firm has several on order by Consumers' Energy of Michigan, but he doesn't know how they'll be delivered. "We haven't figured out the logistics yet, but it's a possibility" they'll be shipped via Toledo, he said. "It demonstrates our capability, especially for the intermodal [ship-to-rail] transfer of heavy-lift cargo," said Todd Audet, the vice president of operations for Midwest Terminals of Toledo International, the stevedore at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority's general cargo docks. "This particular cargo probably couldn't go over the highway," Mr. Audet said. "We have certainly laid the groundwork" for future "special project" cargoes, said Warren McCrimmon, seaport director for the port authority, "and not just for the energy industry." Such cargoes are generally good revenue generators for everyone involved in moving them because they require special handling, Mr. McCrimmon said. The specialized railcar upon which the transformers will be shipped is known as a Schnabel car. It is actually two sections that attach to either end of the transformer, has 20 axles, and itself weighs 250 tons. Its design allows it to distribute the transformers' weight so they can be transported without damaging track or collapsing bridges. Mr. Audet said the schedule calls for the first transformer to be delivered to Fermi and the special railcar to be returned to the Toledo dock within five days. He expressed eagerness to see that schedule kept because several ships are expected to arrive next week with holds full of natural-gas pipe, coal, and limestone to be unloaded. The coal, he said, is destined for Toledo Edison's Bay Shore power plant in Oregon, a facility that usually receives all its fuel by train. The coal will be trucked from the docks to the plant, and then the trucks will return with ash from Bay Shore that will be shipped to a cement plant in northern Michigan.

Toledo Blade