43
november 2013
international
construction
Tackling extremes
LARGE STRUCTURES
The hydroelectric challenge
Dam projects around the world
T
he hydroelectricity sector is a significant global sector, with several large dams under construction from
the Nile to the Amazon. Contractors are often faced with difficult terrain in remote locations, as well as the
ever-present need to adhere to tight timetables. Here is a snapshot of how contractors and manufacturers are
tackling these challenges.
THE CHALLENGE THE SOLUTIONS WHAT THEY SAID
Building the US$ 16 billion Belo
Monte Dam on the Xingu River in the
Amazon, Para, Brazil. This 11.2 GW
project is so large and is located in
such a remote area that factories
had to be built on site to make the
tools needed to help consortium
CCBM complete construction.
14 Grove RT540E cranes, four
Grove RT890E cranes, three Grove
RT765E-2 cranes and two Grove
RT9130E-2s – all rough-terrain
models – are on-site to help with
general heavy lifting for this mega
project. A Manitowoc Crane Care
branch has also been built on the
site for added efficiency.
Claudio Marquetti, corporative
equipment manager for CCBM, said,
“With so many cranes working at
the same location, you might expect
a few problems, however, the
cranes have been running smoothly.
For such a huge project, we feel
confident that we made the best
choice.”
Building the Sarvsfossen concrete
arch dam on Otra River in the Aust-
Agder province of Norway – a 150
m long and 50 m high structure.
Contractor Kruse Smith required
formwork that could be used without
ties.
Manufacturer Doka developed
D35 system specifically for dam
construction. D35 can form concrete
blocks that are 5 m high without
special ties or additional measures,
and also allows for inclination
adjustments of up to 37° in both
directions.
Kruse Smith construction manager
Thomas Odde said, “We are able to
quickly reposition climbing brackets
as well as formwork for the entire
dam using only two cranes. This
solution combined with pouring
blocks 5 m high allows us to work
unbelievably quickly.”
Building the 1.8 km long Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam – a
US$ 4.53 billion project planned
to have a capacity of 15,100 GWh.
Contractor Salini needed haulers
that could be relied on in rough
terrain and remote conditions.
Salini has Astra 219 rigid haulers
working in Ethiopia, and selected
68 Astra 40 tonne capacity RD40
and 50 tonne capacity RD50 models
equipped with Allison fully automatic
transmissions to carry out the most
demanding earthmoving jobs.
Salini purchasing manager Massimo
Campitelli said, “The biggest threat
to our programming and our results
is the risk of frequent occurrences
of downtime. The choice of reliable
vehicles is vital for us.”
Building the 170 MW Baixo Sabor
Hydroelectric Plant in Portugal,
consisting of an upstream dam and
a downstream dam. Assembling
cranes on the rough terrain was a
key challenge.
Linden Comansa’s Portuguese
distributor Ibergru supplied 15 flat-
top tower cranes for the US$ 635
million project, and had the idea of
using an overhead cable transport
system to help assemble two
10LC140 cranes.
Linden Comansa said the overhead
cable solution was, “very unusual
and not only successful, but also
cost-effective.”
Building the 1.8 GW Teles Pires
hydroelectric power station near
Paranaita, Brazil. Due to the granite
rock setting, hard-wearing rock
tools were required for surface and
underground drilling.
Sandvik supplied a large
consignment of equipment to
ensure that productivity would not
be affected by any problems with
production, as the logistical situation
in the middle of the Amazon was
incredibly difficult.
Sandvik said a monthly visit from
its specialists to help check the
equipment proved especially
beneficial in tackling unforeseen
difficulties presented by the difficult
nature of the granite encountered.
