Project completed: Electrical circuit upgrade on behalf of Amprion GmbH

Replacing the overhead lines and renewing the insulators finished

On behalf of Amprion GmbH, EQOS Energie upgraded both German 220 Kv electrical circuits “Eisbach South” and “Roxheim South” on the 220-/380-kV lines at the Lambsheim point – junction Mutterstadt, Bl. 4557 and Mutterstadt Maximiliansau, Bl. 4567 in the Lambshein section – by around 14.5 kilometres.

Over the past three months, over 30 EQOS Energie technicians have worked on replacing the overhead lines and renewing the insulators. A total of about 175 kilometres of line with a weight of 988 kilogrammes per kilometre were installed.

Because the masts are on one of the largest vegetable farms in Rhineland-Palatinate, the appropriate preparations we made with the farmers. Road construction using aluminium or wooden mats was adapted to the respective requirements of the project. In addition, logistics and the storage of work materials on the masts was carried out in a space-saving way. The focus during these measures was on causing minimum disturbance to the later harvest.

Another challenge was placing lines over three intersecting highways and highway on and off ramps. The short distance between the lines required two highways to be closed for a short time during the replacement of the lines. The line vehicles which were used for replacing the armatures were only two or three metres above the ground in places during the replacement work because of the temporary installation load. So for safety reasons, the one-hour closure of the highway was already agreed upon with the authorities during the planning phase. The expansion of the existing bundle spacers and the installation of the rolling line systems were carried out within an hour.

“In some sections, not all neighbouring systems could be switched off. We were attentive to ensuring power supply for the connected region and the local consumers and used special work methods”, explained Carsten Sommer, Manager of the Overhead Lines Division at EQOS Energie. “An elevating platform was used on the masts, which ensured the maintenance of safety distances and allowed the work to be carried out”.