Modifications for Mammoet power plant lift

Mammoet was awarded the contract to supply a PTC-DS, double stacked, super heavy lift crane to build one of the largest power stations in Europe, at Neurath in Germany.

The new brown coal-fired power plant consists of two identical power units of 1,100 MW each. The works commenced in July 2007 and are due to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Due to the height of the power plant, the PTC-DS had to be modified with a 134.6 m main boom and an additional 69.3m jib, totaling 203.9 m.

Basic maximum capacity of the PTC-DS is 1,600 tonnes, with a load moment of 33,705 tonne-metres. The crane and boom reached a tip height of 207.7 m. "With that it even dwarfed the famous 157 m high Kölner Dom [Cathedral] in nearby Cologne," says the company.

Another highlight of the challenge was a fully rigged move, by 100 axle line SPMT, of the PTC-DS from Block F to Block G at the power station, following an emergency situation during its construction. The crane was returned to Block F at a later stage.