Liebherr LR 11350 Erects World’s Tallest Wind Turbine in Germany
30-Second Takeaway
A Liebherr LR 11350 crawler crane from Schmidbauer Group helped complete a 365-metre high-altitude wind turbine in Lusatia, Brandenburg. The crane installed a steel tower component weighing 375 tonnes gross, placing it at a reach of about 44 metres onto a 50-metre-high base structure. It worked on the project from spring 2025, using a PowerBoom configuration for heavy lifts before being converted for rotor installation. The three rotor blades were installed at about 170 metres over 12 hours, partly at night. After the rotor was fitted, an integrated system telescoped the turbine’s inner tower upward to its final height.
Liebherr LR 11350 Installs 375-Tonne Tower Component
The GICON high-altitude wind turbine was built in an existing wind farm in Lusatia, between Berlin and Dresden. Its steel lattice structure supports a 3.8-megawatt wind turbine with a rotor about 126 metres in diameter. The inner tower was designed to telescope upward after the rotor blades were installed, bringing the structure to a total height of 365 metres.
Schmidbauer Group’s Liebherr LR 11350 was assigned to the project from spring 2025. During construction of the outer lattice structure, the crane used Liebherr’s PowerBoom parallel boom system, except during rotor blade installation.
The largest individual component was a tower section measuring approximately 40 by 40 by 40 metres and weighing 375 tonnes gross. The LR 11350 placed it at a reach of about 44 metres onto the 50-metre-high base structure. To move the crane while carrying heavy loads, the project team prepared a special track made from steel plates and bongossi timber.
The crane’s PowerBoom configuration was used until the provisional tower height reached about 160 metres. It was equipped with a jib tip up to 84 metres long, while ballast of up to 850 tonnes was applied across the crane and the derrick jib’s ballast platform.
Crane Converted for Rotor Blade Installation
The LR 11350 had to be reconfigured for the rotor blade lifts. Schmidbauer’s team switched from the PowerBoom setup to a 104-metre lattice boom in six days. Paired with an 84-metre luffing jib, the crane achieved a roller head height of 200 metres.
The blade lifts depended on a suitable weather window with low wind speeds. After waiting several days for conditions to improve, the teams installed all three blades at about 170 metres within 12 hours, with part of the work taking place at night.
Once the rotor was fitted, the turbine’s inner tower was telescoped upward using an integrated system. The completed structure reaches 365 metres, making it the world’s tallest wind turbine and Germany’s second-tallest structure after the Berlin TV Tower.
LR 11350 Equipment and Project Support
The LR 11350 is a large crawler crane designed for heavy lifting work. On this project, its PowerBoom parallel boom system supported installation of the heaviest tower components. The crane’s configuration changed as the project advanced: it first handled heavy lattice sections, then was converted to a long lattice boom and luffing jib for the rotor blade lifts.
The six-day conversion drew on the crane’s rapid setup concept and a sufficiently large skilled crew. Other Liebherr mobile cranes also supported the project, helping set up and ballast the LR 11350, work on the base structure and preassemble sections of the tower.
Crane operator Fabian Ueck said the LR 11350 worked for about 18 months on the project without faults. The report notes the crane’s reliability over that period, alongside the role of the wider crane team and supporting equipment in completing the installation.
High-Altitude Wind Turbine Designed to Reach Stronger Winds
Technology developer GICON developed the prototype to explore additional possibilities for onshore wind energy. The rotor, which measures about 126 metres in diameter, is designed to harness the stronger and more consistent winds available at the turbine’s operating height.
The installation combines a conventional wind turbine with a tall lattice structure and a telescoping inner tower. The inner section was fabricated inside the outer tower during construction. After the rotor blades were installed, the integrated system raised the inner tower to bring the completed turbine to 365 metres.
About the Companies
Liebherr
Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH manufactures mobile and crawler cranes. Its mobile crane range extends from 35-tonne two-axle models to heavy-duty cranes with lifting capacities of up to 1,200 tonnes. Liebherr’s lattice boom cranes on mobile or crawler chassis have lifting capacities of up to 3,000 tonnes. The Ehingen plant employs about 5,000 people and generated revenue of €2.83 billion in 2025.
View website: https://www.liebherr.com/
Schmidbauer Group
Schmidbauer Group supplied the Liebherr LR 11350 and crane operator Fabian Ueck for the Lusatia project. The crane worked on the turbine from spring 2025, handling major tower lifts before being converted for rotor blade installation. Ueck reported that it operated reliably for about 18 months without faults.
View website: https://www.schmidbauer-group.com/
GICON
GICON-Großmann Ingenieur Consult GmbH developed and built the high-altitude wind turbine. Founded in Dresden in 1994, the owner-managed company is part of the internationally active GICON Group and has a dedicated research and technology development department. The Lusatia installation is a pilot project for its technology development work.
View website: https://www.gicon-consult.de/
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is the GICON high-altitude wind turbine?
The completed turbine is 365 metres tall. After the rotor blades were installed, an integrated system telescoped the inner tower upward to reach the final height.
Where is the turbine located?
The prototype stands in an existing wind farm in Lusatia, Brandenburg, between Berlin and Dresden. At 365 metres, it is Germany’s second-tallest structure after the Berlin TV Tower.
What is the turbine’s rated capacity and rotor diameter?
The wind turbine is rated at 3.8 megawatts, and its rotor is about 126 metres in diameter. GICON designed the high-altitude concept to access stronger and more consistent winds at elevation.
What did the LR 11350 lift?
The largest individual component described in the report was a tower section measuring approximately 40 by 40 by 40 metres and weighing 375 tonnes gross. The crane placed it at a reach of about 44 metres onto a base structure 50 metres high.
What crane configuration was used?
The LR 11350 used Liebherr’s PowerBoom parallel boom system during construction of the outer tower, apart from the rotor blade installation phase. For the blade lifts, the crane was converted to a 104-metre lattice boom and paired with an 84-metre luffing jib, giving it a roller head height of 200 metres.
How was the crane moved while handling heavy loads?
The project team built a track from steel plates and bongossi timber. The prepared route enabled the crawler crane to travel while carrying heavy loads.
How long did crane conversion take?
The team changed the LR 11350 from its PowerBoom setup to the lattice boom configuration in six days. Liebherr attributed the quick conversion to the crane’s rapid setup concept and the availability of enough skilled personnel.
How were the rotor blades installed?
The three blades were installed at about 170 metres during a suitable period of low wind. The installation took 12 hours and continued partly at night.
