As part of the RWE power station renovation programme, the Consult IKS energy planning
department at HOCHTIEF has been awarded the contract for the structural design of two
coal-fired power stations.
At Eemshaven in the Netherlands, a new coal-fired power station with a gross capacity of
1,600MW will be erected on a site covering approximately 50ha. The new facility can be
partly fired using biomass and is due to be connected to the grid in 2013.
The power station at Hamm in North Rhine-Westphalia will be upgraded to the most
advanced power-station technology with the construction of a dual-block facility (blocks D
and E). Replacing the old blocks A and B, the new blocks will be connected to the grid at
the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012, and will contribute a gross capacity of some 1,600MW. With a net efficiency of 46%, the new blocks will produce approximately 20% less
CO2 emissions, compared to standard coal-fired power stations currently in operation in
Germany.
Both of the above projects will be planned using a ‘convoy technique’, that is, as structurally
similar as possible. RWE is investing more than €4bn in both facilities.
The solution from Sword CTSpace
The Sword CTSpace solution has been used successfully by HOCHTIEF for many years.
This approach has also been chosen for the current power station projects because of
the in-depth understanding of the process that Sword CTSpace consultants offer. “Many
providers of document-management solutions view their task as merely archiving data. The
Sword CTSpace team, on the other hand, understands our construction planning process
and its special requirements, and is able to implement this in their software,” says Heribert Hansen, project manager and manager for structural design.
In terms of the adaptability of its products and experience, and the worldwide availability of its employees, Sword CTSpace is unique when it comes to document management and collaboration workflow, and can fully satisfy the requirements of customers in this sector.
The Internet-based solution from Sword CTSpace offers HOCHTIEF numerous benefits:
- The system is simple to use, so subcontractors can also be integrated quickly and easily, thereby improving the quality of project communication
- Project documentation is available to authorised users immediately, and can be viewed anywhere in the world at any time via the Internet
- The folder structure can easily be matched to existing systems such as the building structure, increasing its acceptance with users
- Users can review a large amount of relevant information and identify contexts where they might need to be more cautious in their current work
- Every software user works with the latest version of a document
HOCHTIEF opted to use the Sword CTSpace solution from the very start of the planning phase during construction of the power stations. As Mr Hansen explains: “The advantages of using document management software early on quickly became clear to many of those participating in the project. The degree to which this was accepted was demonstrated by the fact that most of them wanted to integrate with the system we are using.
“The system has become virtually indispensable because of its high degree of transparency and easy accessibility by all project players. The simple way the file structure can be matched to existing systems such as the building structure was an especially positive feature because project participants found it intuitive to use and especially easy to find their way through.”
The system will be used particularly by the German-Dutch team at Eemshaven, where they will be able to access the latest documents promptly.
Communication with the customer is made easier by the central document storage location and the fact that it can be accessed from anywhere. As Mr Hansen says, “I can use the online solution to take the customer through key documents at any time. It doesn’t matter whether I’m at the airport, in a hotel or at the customer site, the ease of access to any amount of data wins you over right away.”