Independent Cement and Lime supplied their 70/30 Fly Ash blend cement for concreting work at the Mount Mercer Wind Farm in Western Victoria.

The wind farm is expected to generate approximately 395,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity each year, providing enough renewable energy to power approximately 74,000 households in the city of Ballarat while reducing some 510,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Independent Cement, through their client Eureka Concrete, supplied 70/30 Fly Ash blend cement for the concrete used in the project. Over a six-month period beginning in March 2013, Independent Cement supplied a total of 9,000 tonnes of blended cement.

With the tower bases requiring mass concrete pours, the 70/30 flyash binder combination was chosen to reduce the heat of hydration of the concrete, which can otherwise cause Delayed Ettringite Formation (DEF) and thermal cracking. The use of the high flyash blend reduced the risk of DEF and thermal cracking.

Image: With the tower bases requiring mass concrete pours, the 70/30 flyash binder combination was chosen to reduce the heat of hydration of the concrete