Emden
Converter station Siemens
Emden, Germany / 01.2024 - 10.2024
The northern starting point of the A-Nord direct-current link was established in Emden, East Frisia. The extra-high-voltage line, approximately 300 km long, will in future connect Emden with Osterath in North Rhine-Westphalia and form part of the north-south power link between the offshore wind farms in the North Sea and the consumption centres in western Germany. For the deep foundations at the converter station in Emden-Petkum, PORR special civil engineering, in a joint venture with Gebr. Neumann GmbH, constructed around 5,200 full displacement drilled piles. The client was Siemens Energy.
Facts & Figures
Company
PORR Spezialtiefbau GmbH
Type
Foundations
Runtime
01.2024 - 10.2024
Deep foundations for the converter station on the A-Nord route
Starting point of a new extra-high-voltage link
The A-Nord direct-current link runs from Emden to Osterath and utilises existing power lines over long sections of the route. Converter stations are being built at either end of the link to enable the conversion between alternating-current and direct-current transmission. The converter station in Emden forms the northern feed-in point of the new line. Even before the technical installations can be commissioned, the foundations for halls, operational buildings and technical facilities are being laid underground.
5,200 piles for the converter station
The converter station consists of a positive and a negative pole. Each of these areas comprises two converter units. Each converter is housed in a converter hall approximately 18 m high with a floor area of around 5,000 m². Around 5,200 full displacement drilled piles were driven as well as other operational and technical buildings to provide deep foundations for the halls. The piles reach lengths of 15 to 16 m and transfer the loads from the future structures into load-bearing soil layers.
Foundations for halls and technical buildings
Fundex piles of various diameters were used for the foundation works. The deep foundations were tailored to the requirements of the converter halls, operational buildings and technical installations. The piles form the basis for load transfer in the structures and create the conditions for the subsequent structural works on the converter site.
Work between the route and the coastal landscape
The work took place in the vicinity of the new extra-high-voltage connection as well as the existing energy infrastructure in East Frisia. In addition to the ground conditions, site logistics and coordination with the other construction phases of the converter station had to be taken into account. The pile foundations were constructed in sections and adapted to the requirements of the overall project. In the immediate vicinity of the project site, further deep foundations had previously been constructed for infrastructure works in the Emden area, as well as work on a railway overpass on the B210 and at a substation site.
Foundation for the converter station
Even before the converters, switchgear and technical installations become visible, the foundations for the future power transmission are being laid beneath the ground surface. The installation of around 5,200 full displacement drilled piles has laid the groundwork for the subsequent construction phases of the converter station. Between the coastal landscape, the power line corridor and the converter hall, a central section of the A-Nord infrastructure project is thus taking shape.
