Over Hill and Dale: Ensuring Reliable Power Supply Across Alpine Terrain

Reisseck II is a state-of-the-art pumped storage hydroelectric plant in Carinthia, Austria, boasting an output of 430 MW. Due to the plant’s high-altitude location, upgrading and maintaining its infrastructure requires expertise and top-quality solutions. Pipelife's highly robust AquaLine pipe system allowed the modification of a critical transmission line of Reisseck II despite the area's steep terrain and limited access options.

_{Upgrading a Major Power Plant in a Hard-to-Access Location}

The pumped storage hydroelectric plant Reisseck II is part of the Carinthian power plant group – the largest such group in Austria. From 2021, an initiative to build an extension facility, Reisseck II Plus, has been in progress, entailing alterations to a 110 kV power transmission line connecting Reisseck II to a substation in Kolbnitz.

To transmit power from Reisseck II to the substation, the client Verbund Hydro Power GmbH and the construction company Felbermayr Bau GmbH & Co KG, outlet Spittal an der Drau, opted for the extremely durable AquaLine pipes from Pipelife's range. The selected pipe system allowed for laying power lines safely across the alpine terrain and ensuring a reliable power supply despite the challenging topography.

_{Out of the Box Solution for a Steep Challenge}

According to the project, the altered transmission line had to traverse impassable, steep terrain following a disused railroad. Thus, cable protection pipes had to ensure reliable, long-lasting line protection when partially buried or laid above the ground.

While Pipelife provides an extensive selection of cable protection systems, the demanding project called for innovative solutions. From the project start, Franz Richtig, Professional Engineer and Site Manager at Felbermayr, worked closely with Pipelife's Field Service Representative Gottfried Plieschnegger.

Their cooperation allowed for finding an out-of-the-box piping solution that addressed the project's challenges and offered maximal power supply safety — the AquaLine system made from PE 100-RC.

These extremely durable pipes are typically used in the potable water industry, but their properties were also optimal for the Reisseck project. Made from high-density PE, AquaLine pipes excel with their resistance to crack growth and point loads as well as exceptional lifespan.

Franz Richtig emphasizes: "Throughout years of collaboration with Pipelife, we've successfully executed numerous projects, always adhering to a single guiding principle: nothing is impossible. In challenging projects like this one, unconventional solutions are often necessary, and in such instances, we can always rely on Pipelife."

_{Extreme Applications? Not a Problem}

Before the lines could be laid, the products had to be supplied to the installation site. Delivery of the required products by truck was challenging as the construction site was located 2,231 meters above sea level.

As a solution, some of the pipes were transported to the construction site by helicopter.

In total, more than 12 kilometers of Pipelife AquaLine pipes of DN 90 and DN 160 were supplied to ensure safe power transmission from Reisseck II, along with more than 2,500 cover plates.

The robust pipes were laid as a triple line. For this purpose, tailor-made PP spacers were designed and produced for the project's needs. The pipe rods were joined with tensile R & Z high-tensile push-fit sleeves and bundled together.

All products were delivered to the site from Pipelife Austria’s warehouses in Krems and Villach.

Franz Richtig is proud of the result: "For the project in Reisseck, Pipelife was able to deliver all required products at short notice and without any issues. The AquaLine pipes are produced in Austria, excel with their high quality, and we appreciate having all products supplied from one manufacturer."