South Africa
Beginning on 11 June, nine South African cities will be the venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup – on 11 July after 64 matches, the new world champion will be crowned.
However, German-South African participation has already taken place in the preceding months: this is because four stadiums in Durban, Cape Town, Nelspruit and Bloemfontein – with seating capacities for between 45,000 and 70,000 spectators – were constructed or enlarged with the help of PERI formwork and scaffolding systems. Complete project support and rental logistics was handled by Wiehahn, authorized PERI dealer in South Africa.
Greenpoint Stadium
The Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town and the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban will be the venues for the two semi-final games, which take place in front of almost 70,000 spectators in each case.
The 34 cm thick reinforced concrete slab of the seven-storey high grandstand in the Greenpoint Stadium was formed using PERI panel slab formwork SKYDECK with MULTIPROP slab props. Through the low individual weights of the aluminium components and the systematic assembly sequence, work could be carried out both quickly and fatigue-free. In addition, the SKYDECK drophead system ensured short striking times as panels and main beams were available for the next cycle in a very short space of time.
Apart from the low weight and the high load-bearing capacity, the PERI MULTIPROP has a large extension length, a big advantage for the range of different storey heights. Connected with MULTIPROP frames, the slab props were also used as shoring towers. This meant that the cantilevered formwork for the slab edges could be supported for the height of several floors with the loads being safely transferred to the ground. Supplementing this were the PERI TRIO and VARIO GT 24 wall formwork systems for the stairwells and lift shafts.
Mbombela Stadium and Vodacom Park Stadium
For the construction of the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit and the Vodacom Park Stadium in Bloemfontein, the PERI MULTIPROP system provided high load-bearing capacities and a high degree of flexibility – finding use as individual slab props and frame-connected shoring towers.
MULTIFLEX girder slab formwork combined with UZR beam walers were used to build both slabs and beams. Using GT 24 formwork girders allowed large spans which meant intermediate supports could be avoided as far as possible. For these two stadiums – each holding 45,000 spectators – the comprehensive formwork and scaffolding concept was usefully supplemented by the PERI TRIO and DOMINO wall formwork systems as panel formwork as well as VARIO GT 24 as girder wall formwork.
Moses Mabhida Stadium
The PERI TRIO panel formwork and the VARIO GT 24 girder wall formwork also played a crucial role for the construction of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. With the highly versatile TRIO system, the ballast tanks underneath the stadium structure together with the architectonic fair-faced concrete walls of the five access tunnels to the pitch and the three enormous abutments for the arch support structure of the stadium roof were formed.
The VARIO GT 24 wall and column formwork system also demonstrated its versatility for the construction of numerous reinforced concrete columns and elevator shafts as well as the inclined grandstand support beams which were realised extremely accurately and with a high concrete quality cast in-situ. The VARIO formwork elements were pre-assembled at the Wiehahn rental park and delivered punctually ready-to-use on the construction site in accordance with the building schedule.
Kenya: Funding Power Projects
The World Bank has approved a US$330 million loan for Kenya to expand its national grid and support its emerging geothermal power generation. Kenya relies on hydropower to generate about 65 percent of its electricity but it is prone to power shortages and cuts which have escalated in the rent years due to droughts which have lowered the nation's dam water levels. The multi-million dollar loan is a part of US$1.4 billion being invested in the electricity sector by the government, the World Bank and other development partners, the World Bank said.
Kenya is seeking to diversify its sources of electricity and hopes to lean more on geothermal and wind energy in future. The country's main electricity generator, KenGen, generates about 1,000 MW of electricity - 80 percent of Kenyan demand - with 700 MW of that coming from dams. It was forced to shut down a 40 MW hydro generation plant last year by drought, causing power outages.
Officials estimate Kenya can generate 7,000 MW from the vast reserves of steam that lie under the Great Rift Valley running across the country. Kenya plans to raise the electricity generated from geothermal to a minimum of 5,000 MW by 2030.
Nigeria: Renewable Energy Projects
The World Bank (WB) has said it is committing over US$200 million towards the implementation of renewable energy projects in Nigeria towards enhancing access and rural electrification as part of its commitment to the nation's power sector.
A Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy workshop organized by the Ministry of Power and the World Bank, in Abuja, noted that all problems in the Nigerian electricity sector cannot be solved by conventional sources or grid extensions.
The government was equally focused on building an institutional framework that would encourage and strengthen state governments' participation in renewable energy and rural electrification projects.
Finland: The Helsinki Energia Project
ABB, a power and automation technology group will work on a joint development project with Helsinki Energia, a public utility in the Helsinki. The company will collaborate with Nokia Siemens Networks to design and install a large-scale smart grid in the new Kalasatama district of Helsinki.
ABB, Helsingin Energia and Nokia Siemens Networks will develop a variety of solutions based on modern communication, information and energy technologies.
These include solutions to ensure that excess power generated from renewable energy sources in the district itself, for instance from solar panels and wind turbines, can be fed into the power grid; to enable electric vehicles to draw electricity from the grid or feed it back; to store energy; to create easy-to-use services and to provide more flexibility and transparency in the distribution grid, helping to lower consumption and emissions.
Australia: Kurnell Desalination Plant, Sydney, Australia
A large part of the constant increase in water requirements for the population of Sydney is covered by a new, enormous desalination plant. In the suburb of Kurnell, a number of structures were built on an area of 450,000m² for this purpose which is used for treatment and storage, and includes an operations building for the personnel. Up to 250 million litres of drinking water can be produced per day.
A total of four contractors were responsible for completion of the structural work – the formwork solution for all partners was supplied PERI. With the TRIO wall formwork system, the massive 18.50 m high reinforced concrete walls with thicknesses between 0.8 m and 1.5 m could be flexibly and efficiently formed.
At the same time, the PERI formwork planning took into consideration the various height offsets and wall sections which were constructed using single-face forming operations. The support for the 8m bottom section was provided by the modular SB-A0, A, B and C brace frame systems so that single-face concreting in one pour could take place.
For the concreting sections at great heights, TRIO together with the CB climbing system was used – with help of SKS brackets, single-sided climbing could then be carried out. Here, the concreting cycle height was 3m in each case.
Association News
Funding Hydropower in Africa
Funding and financing hydropower projects in Africa will be a special focus during the annual Hydropower Africa in Johannesburg in August 17‐20, 2010 which will be opened by the South African Energy minister Elizabeth Dipuo Peters.
Some of the world’s top hydropower experts will discuss the future of hydropower electricity generation in Africa during what is the only hydropower conference and exhibition on the continent where all the major stakeholders gather.
“There is an enormous demand for information on the finance and funding of hydropower projects in Africa” says Nicolaas Loretz, Hydropower Africa project director, “especially given that the potential for hydro generation is great and that only 10Percent of the continent’s potential has been realised. This is the ideal platform to give impetus to project implementation for small and large hydro projects”.
Nicolaas Loretz continues: “We therefore have a special focus on investment opportunities with specialists from the World Bank and the African Development Bank and case studies from Zambia and Mozambique as part of our programme.”
“We are delighted that Minister Dipuo Peters will share her vision with us,” says Loretz, “particularly to hear her views regarding the promotion of sustainable development, regional integration, water and energy security, and poverty eradication in Africa.”
During a visit to Korea recently, the minister said South Africa can produce more than 43,000 megawatts of electricity but wants to increase this by using renewable energy sources like wind, solar and hydropower. More information about this event can be accessed at www.esiafrica. com/hpa.
South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
Paving producers which hold the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) mark for concrete block pavers (CBP), SANS 1058, have 12 months in which to comply with a revised standard, SANS 1058 2010, officially published by SABS in March.
The revised standard was drafted jointly by SABS and the CMA (Concrete Manufacturers Association), and replaces the old compression‐based standard with three new performance measurement techniques, tensile splitting, and abrasion testing and water absorption.
According to Hamish Laing, CMA director, SANS 1058 2010 will be good for property owners and developers as it provides them with the means of comparing the performance of the various pavers on the market with far more accuracy.
The CMA investigated all forms of abrasion resistance, testing systems around the world, and in the end opted for the Australian/New Zealand model which proved to be best suited to in situ performance conditions. Laing says the water absorption test also forms part of SANS 1058 2010 because CBPs with low absorption rates tend to offer better durability.
EVENTS
Libya Gas
Date: June 28-30, 2010
Venue: Libya
Contact: Phillip Clarke
Tel.: +44 20 7978 0056
Email: pclarke@thecwcgroup.com
Libya Gas will deliver high level keynote presentations and a range of highly informative sessions focussing on the key issues that will include interactive discussions and lively panel debates. Topics will explore the many investment opportunities available in Libya and the current issues impacting on future Libyan future exploration, development and gas export.
Libya Gas represents an excellent opportunity to raise your company’s profile and gain exposure to the industry’s leading players. Therefore, why not enhance your presence and reinforce your brand with a tailor-made sponsorship package:
- With our tailor-made packages you can:
- Reinforce your commitment to the industry
- Highlight your position as a key player
- Showcase your company’s activities
- Gain prime exposure to senior decision makers
Nigeria Oil & Gas Tech (NOG Tech) Conference and Exhibition
Date: June 8-10, 2010
Venue: Lagos, Nigeria
Contact Danny Grogan
Email: dgrogan@thecwcgroup.com
Tel: +44 2079780089
NOG Tech is Lagos’ biggest Oil and Gas Event, held 8-10 June at the Eko Expo Centre. NOG Tech has been developed in response to the high demand for a technical conference and exhibition in Lagos at the heart of the oil and gas industry. NOG Tech will focus on technology developments, innovation and training in the upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas markets. The Conference and Exhibition will bring together senior decision-makers and industry experts involved in the latest projects in the region.
NEW PRODUCTS
BG 50
Big is beautiful as far as specialist manufacturer Bauer is concerned. One of its launches at Bauma will be the BG 50, its largest rotary rig to date. The flagship machine is designed to drill to depths of up to 100m with hole-diameters as big as 4.5 m. Features include an extendable mast (up to 35 m) and a 706 kW engine drives the 240 ton machine.
Keeping with the theme of big machines, the company will also launch a new range topping foundations crane in the shape of the MC 128. Boasting a 200 ton lifting capacity, the machine can be used with a BC 40 trench cutter to construct diaphragm walls to depths of up to 150 m. A key feature of the machine is its transportability and the fact that it can rig and de-rig itself without the need for other machines.
Website: www.bauer.de
Cat 336D L Hydraulic Excavator
The Cat 336D L Hydraulic Excavator features greater performance, flexibility and versatility compared to the C-Series model. A new, spacious cab and new styling also set the D-Series apart from previous machines. And additional guarding for demolition applications helps ensure reliability and durability in demanding tasks.
The 336D L has more engine power and hydraulic pressure than the C-Series model. The result is increased breakout force and greater lift force, which create faster cycle times and superior productivity. The heavy lift circuit is now standard on D-Series models. At the touch of a switch, heavy lift will boost hydraulic pressure for increased lift performance.
The 336D L has a maximum operating weight of 82,962 pounds (37 631 kg) and net power of 268 horsepower (200 kW). The Cat C9 engine powers the 336D L and meets U.S. EPA Tier 3 emissions regulations. The engine management system provides flexible fuel mapping, allowing the engine to respond quickly to varying application needs. For reduced power consumption and reduced noise, the excavator has a hydraulically driven fan controlled by the electronic control module.
Website: www.cat.com
