Concord Namibia (Plant & Crane Hire) has played a role in the completion of the Neckartal Dam project, the largest water-storage dam in Namibia at about 960 million cubic metres.
It supplied a 220t and a 550t crane to assist Italian contractor Salini Impregilo with construction of the 80m-deep dam, with a crest length of 518m.
The 220t crane’s main function was to install trash racks and roof beams for the inlet tower facing the water side of the dam. Water enters the inlet tower through the dam wall into the turbine room, where it generates hydroelectricity, explains Concord CEO, Francois Smith.
While still inside the partially-completed inlet tower, complex rigging
and lifting was required to position the 22t concrete roof beams for the tower. With the final four beams directly on top of the crane, the crane had to be re-positioned outside the tower, on a narrow dam wall, and the beams lifted up and over the tower walls in order to place the remaining four beams.
Several computerised rigging studies were carried out to ensure a safe and
successful lift of every beam. The 220t crane was then relocated to the river
or ‘dry’ side of the dam, where it was used to dismantle two tower cranes that had been deployed over the four-year construction period.
In addition, a 550t crane was used to dismantle an 8 metre high tower crane,and re-erect it on top of the dam wall. The 550t crane was also responsible for dismantling the conveyor-belt systems supplying concrete from the batching plant to the dam wall.
Concord Cranes
Francois Smith
Tel: (011) 805-8071
Email: francois@concordcranes.com
Web: www.concordcranes.com
