Full power in Opole

GEDA is participating with numerous of its lift solutions in the multi-million construction project of two new blocks in the Opole electric combined heat and power plant in Poland.

For many years experts have been warning Poland of an energy deficit – but the country on the Vistula has a plan. High investment sums in conventional energy generation should prevent any imminent fall-off since black gold continues to be popular as an energy provider despite relevant EU directives.
And Poland has several plans to preserve the country’s energy security. The largest current project is the expansion of electric combined heat and power plant in Opole in the south of Poland. The first spade hit the ground back in 2014 for the two new blocks – Number 5 and Number 6 – each with a capacity of 900 MW. The investor is Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) which estimates the project value to be as much as EUR 2.8 billion.
 
The consortium comprising the companies Rafako, Mostostal Warszawa, Polimex-Mostostal and Alstom Power received the order for the expansion work.
The mega-construction site places huge challenges on all the companies involved in the expansion of the power station. The decision-makers selected the company GEDA-Dechentreiter GmbH & Co. KG from Asbach-Bäumenheim in Bavaria, Southern Germany to provide all the height access technology.
From transport platforms to personnel and material hoists to suspended working platforms – a large part of GEDA's product range has been put to use in Opole. For the height access specialists this is the perfect opportunity to showcase their unique product variety and provide the customers in Poland with all their lift solutions from a single source. With its constant eye on the market, the GEDA professionals have also developed special customised solutions for the expansion of the power station which have considerably increased the efficiency of the construction works.

GEDA is supplying special technological solutions for the cooling tower construction

The two new cooling towers of the Opole power station are a huge part of the expansion that must not be overlooked. To assemble the external sheathing and to enable workers and building materials to access the formworks, one GEDA PH 2032 650 Single personnel and material lift per cooling tower has been installed.
The particular geometry of the cooling towers over 185 metres high placed huge challenges for the lift assembly. Due to the incline of the façades, both the mast and the lift itself had to be adapted to the changing geometry of the towers. Therefore the specially designed platform of the GEDA PH was equipped with two shiftable assembly planks which enable the mast to be anchored to the changing geometry. The exit to the formworks from the GEDA PH via an additional “D”-Door was also a customised solution developed by GEDA. Thanks to the two power packs each with a load capacity of 2,000 kg or 25 people, a lifting height of 400 metres and a hoisting speed of up to 90 m/min, rapid construction progress on the cooling towers is ensured.

Also installed on the cooling towers are GEDA AB 650 suspended working platforms, each with a platform length of 6 to 9 metres and an assembly height of about 190 metres. With the help of four sets of the versatile platforms, any unevenness on the exterior walls of the cooling towers is removed. Four sets of suspended working platforms are also being used internally for the application of a special chemical coating. The exterior walls are also not being painted in desolate grey but will be subsequently decorated with a large-scale image.
GEDA’s suspended working platforms are the perfect solution for this diverse work as they enable scaffolding-free work to be carried out on all types of building façades.

A further customised solution was developed in this regard for use in Opole. In order to balance out the incline on the suspended working platforms assembled on the external façade, GEDA developed in-house an innovative press-in frame with a third winch which achieves the press-in effect. This enabled GEDA to offer a technologically sophisticated yet cost-saving solution.

The components of the GEDA suspended working platforms are very light and can be transported by one person which last but not least also makes the assembled platform easier to move. The platform also offers sufficient space for personnel and materials. The operating height can be adjusted with centimetre precision, which means that work can always be carried out at an ergonomically ideal position. Corner pieces and brackets enable the platform to be adapted to a wide variety of building shapes. The hot dip galvanized outriggers can be quickly assembled and disassembled using the plug and socket devices. The integrated incline compensation and the overload protection system also enable work to be carried out safely.

GEDA 2 PK crane operator hoist

Heavy-duty cranes from the company Sarens are also used to ensure that processes run smoothly on the construction site. The two cranes are each equipped with a GEDA 2 PK crane operator hoist.
The GEDA 2 PK scores highly through its many benefits. For instance the crane driver is transported extremely quickly to his workplace in the sky. Reckless, arduous climbs are no longer necessary and the crane driver will reach his work place easily in all weathers come rain or shine and even in stormy conditions, snow and ice. The GEDA 2 PK is designed to transport 2 people, with a load capacity of 200 kg. Therefore, any materials required for maintenance tasks can also be transported upwards. With a hoisting (lifting) speed of 25 m/min, the lift transports the crane driver upwards to a height of 150 metres. Higher lifting heights are possible on request. Of course it must not be forgotten that the crane-operator hoist can be a life saver as the GEDA 2 PK can be quickly moved upwards in order to rescue an unconscious or ill crane operator in an emergency. That saves much precious time, because normally a helicopter must be requested if no crane-operator lift is available.

GEDA has the right solution for every challenge

GEDA Multilift P12 personnel and material hoists are being used to build Blocks 5 and 6. Authorised for the transportation of 12 people or 1,500 kg to a lifting height of 150 metres and a hoisting speed of 12-40 m/min, the GEDA Multilift P12 has found its fixed position in the market. The full base unit which is composed of a car, enclosure, flat cable bin and drive is delivered as one unit with perfect dimensions for container loading and for HGV transportation which means that work to assemble the device can start on-site immediately.
A GEDA 1200 Z/ZP transport platform is also supporting the construction works on the new blocks of the Opole power station. The lifts from the GEDA transport platform range are genuine all-rounders as in contrast to conventional materials lifts, in which the transportation of people is strictly prohibited, with GEDA transport platforms people can also be transported along with material loads. With a load capacity of up to 1,500 kg and/or a maximum of 7 people and a hoisting speed of 12 or 24 m/min, the single-mast GEDA 1200 Z/ZP is the ideal device for use on a construction site. The GEDA VARIO-MAST system used with this transport platform makes a lifting height of up to 150 metres possible. A range of platform modules with varying load capacities and sizes enables the GEDA 1200 Z/ZP transport platform to be flexibly adapted to the building and construction site conditions thus offering the best possible solution for almost every construction challenge.

According to PGE when the expansion of the Opole power station is completed in 2019, it will be one of the most modern electric combined heat and power plants in the world. Not least thanks to the support of the height access technology from Bavaria, the “power-house” is pursuing the best path for achieving this ambitious objective.