The tower is growing!

The construction site in Texas has become a temporary home for the highest heavy-lift crane in the United States. The crane is being used to assemble the reduction shaft and mount further steel structures at a staggering height of 137 meters.

The crane components were delivered in 115 truck shipments, and it took 1.5 months to complete the crane assembly. The 1500-ton crane is of special design, and its boom will be extended to approximately 180 meters in the following weeks. The crane is one of the tallest heavy-duty cranes in the United States.

The first heavy payloads have already been lifted on schedule. The cone (see photograph) is the lower part of the reduction shaft. The process gas washer and supporting frames for the reduction shaft have already been mounted at a height of roughly 70 meters. At this point in construction, half of the reduction shaft has already been installed in the tower.