The joint-venture power station “Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn (GKI)” on the upper Inn at the Swiss-Austrian border will be the largest run-of-river power station to be newly constructed in the Alpine region for many years.

Different water levels and flow speeds of the Inn River, which forms the border between Switzerland and Austria at this point, are part of the special challenges of this site. However, the construction company is constructing a pile wall and the foundation piles for the weir system of this ambitious project using Bauer equipment.

Reinforced piles with a diameter of 1,200mm and depths of between 26 and 40m are being drilled with a Bauer BG 36 H and a BG 36 V using the Kelly method. Rock socketing of the piles is done at 3m and deeper.

Both drilling rigs are fitted with Bauer's new CrowdPlus system. This assistant facilitates a significant increase in the retraction forces by supporting the feed drive system with the main winch. This coupling is implemented and monitored by the system through a joystick in the operator's cab. Using the CrowdPlus system offers major advantages in the retraction of casings and handling of heavy drilling equipment.

Reference: https://www.geodrillinginternational.com/piling