BorWin4 & DolWin4 – southern section: the expansion of the green electricity grid is progressing

Static calculations as a service

Owing to the soil conditions, open-trench installation was used over long distances. Some partial segments, however, could also be installed using the cost-efficient and environmentally friendly HDD method. A particularly complex section was the one crossing under the Dortmund-Ems Canal, the river Ems as well as traversing a Fauna- Flora-Habitat (FFH) area, a nature conservation and landscape protection area in the region of Lingen Hanekenfähr. Based on the calculated tractive force, the HDD-drilling across a length of approx. 1,100 m (6 strings) was shifted from SDR 11 to SDR 7.4. A particular challenge in this context consisted in pretensioning the pipes in the difficult-to-access forest terrain. Thus, comprehensive previous land clearing measures were required.

Apart from precise planning, complex drilling operations such as these in particular require good communication and cooperation between the contractor and the pipe manufacturer. Sven Vaske, the overall project manager from ARGE Tief4 LA Süd, arrived at a consistently positive assessment of the exchange between these parties: “Over the course of work preparation, egeplast was always at our disposal providing the technical expertise required to ensure a maximally efficient workflow”. Among the advisory services provided by egeplast were, among other items, the static calculations both for the construction and operating stages. As a result, the southern section is scheduled to be completed by December 2025.