The shaft connects the underground facilities at the Schwarzenbach power station with the existing water tower and the pressure tunnel leading to the Schwarzenbach dam. Its completion marks a significant step towards the modernisation of this historic hydroelectric power station, which is due to be converted into a high-performance pumped-storage power station by 2027.

Last year, the PORR Tunnelbau team successfully carried out the pilot drilling for the shaft. The borehole, approximately 35 centimetres wide, reached the shaft base cavern within a short time and formed the basis for the subsequent enlargement to a diameter of around 3.10 metres. A drill head weighing around eleven tonnes was used for the work.

In parallel with the construction of the shaft, work in the caverns, tunnels and water-carrying systems of the project continued apace. At the Schwarzenbach plant, the Murg plant and the transformer cavern, concrete and lining works are in full swing. Furthermore, in the headrace channels of the Schwarzenbach and Murg plants, all sections of the steel lining supplied by Bilfinger Industrial Services have been installed and permanently secured.

Since early 2024, PORR Tunnelbau has been carrying out the extensive tunnelling and cavern construction work for the future pumped-storage power station on behalf of EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG. The project is creating a modern energy storage facility in the northern Black Forest, which will make an important contribution to grid stability and the integration of renewable energies in future.