Modular floating pontoon supplier Northern Pontoon used a 3,000kg working load limit (WLL) lightweight gantry crane from Chepstow-based Reid Lifting to anchor a solar system in a Lancashire reservoir.

The floating array features approximately 3,700 pontoon modules and 3,520 solar panels.

The 7,200 square-metre system will provide a megawatt of power, equivalent to the needs of 200 homes.

Integral to successful installation was a Porta-Gantry crane from Reid, which was onsite for three weeks at varying intervals during the eight-week project.

Lisa Morris, sales manager at Northern Pontoon, said: “The gantry enabled us to drop the anchor blocks for the sea flex anchoring system. We used it to pull the ropes from the anchor block to a set tension to the attached floating array. This allows for the rise and fall of the structure. We found the solution online and, upon consultation with our contacts at Gap, the equipment was delivered to the site.

"We regularly source product from them and, once again, they facilitated a successful material handling solution; we would certainly consider implementing it again.”

The application is another example of the versatility of the Reid lightweight gantry and davit crane range.

The Porta-Gantry itself is renowned for its light weight, portability, ease of assembly, and safety. It offers a range of configurations, lift-ratings, and personnel lifting options, including a 5,000kg WLL version.

Reid, which is based at Newhouse Industrial Estate in Chepstow, was recently bought by Pure Lifting, a holding company formed to create a global business of innovative and portable equipment.