Felbermayr takes to the mountains with heavy loads

A transformer weighing 140 tonnes for the Kühtai 2 hydropower plant. Photo: Markus Völter

As part of Austria’s energy transition the Kühtai 2 pumped storage hydropower plant is under construction at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres up in the mountains of the Tyrol.

Getting turbines, transformers and other large and heavy components up there to the site is a challenge being met by Felbermayr. As a heavy transport and lifting specialist based in the country it has the required knowledge, experience and equipment.

Talking of equipment, the power plant’s developer TIWAG is installing enough to give a generating capacity of 190 MW, plus creating an entire new reservoir 2,100 metres above sea level.

One of the main loads taken up there by Felbermayr was a 140 tonne transformer. It arrived in Zirl by rail before being transferred to heavy-duty Goldhofer transporters. The arrangement was a 15 axle combination, with a 6-axle self propelled Addrive unit and a 2-axle FT Series module type THP/FT-L at the front with a 3+4 combination from the same series at the back.

Between these two modules was a scissor lift bridge with the transformer mounted on a turntable. The full length of the combination was 55 metres.

To get all that up the mountain it was pulled by a tractor unit with a pusher truck at the rear.

The 55 metre combination meeting the challenge in the mountains. Photo: Markus Völter

Multiple options

Full use was made of the flexibility and multitude of combination options of the Goldhofer FT Series.

“With projects of this complexity, the ability to configure modules with maximum flexibility and even combine them with self-propelled transporters such as the Addrive is a decisive advantage,” said Erwin Uebel, the Goldhofer service engineer on the project.

“The differences in height between the modules are not a problem; the FT Series is designed for maximum adaptability,” Uebel continued.

When the load reached the top it was then a case of negotiating a way through narrow tunnels into the cavern.

The Addrive helped the combination deal with extreme gradients of well over 16 per cent. “On the steep sections, the extra power provided by the Addrive was worth its weight in gold,” said Uebel. “The combination of tractor assistance and towed module within the overall train makes it the ideal solution for challenging terrain.”

Felbermayr commented on the importance of collaboration to the success of the project. “Without the support provided by Goldhofer and the capabilities of their products, the assignment would have been much more difficult to handle,” said Ingo Müller, Felbermayr technical project manager.

Felbermayr Group specialises in Lifting, transport and construction. It is a family company with more than 3,300 employees at 81 locations in 17 countries.

Felbermayr used Goldhofer’s Addrive to get the load up to an altitude of more than 2,000 metres above sea level. Photo: Markus Völter