Theodul II
Offering ideal conditions for hydroelectric power production, the Brandnertal valley in Vorarlberg is known for its sustainability in energy generation. The municipality of Brand, with a population of about 750, operates three hydroelectric power plants and three drinking water power plants. The parish of Brand also owned the power plant St. Theodul I. This has reached its "technical end of life" after almost 40 years of continuous operation. For this reason, in the course of a replacement construction, which was implemented by Kraftwerke Brand GmbH, owned by the parish, due to the high financial expenses, the plant Theodul II with a bottleneck capacity of 1,174 kW was built, which was put into operation at the end of 2022.
The construction phase of the project started in mid-March 2022. In order to connect the approximately 1.6 km long power descent between the water intake and the machine building, a high-performance and robust pressure pipeline was required. TRM's ductile iron systems are known for their stability, durability and optimum flow conditions thanks to a smooth cement mortar internal coating and were therefore selected by the planner breuß mähr bauingenieure gmbh.
For the new building of the power station, ductile iron pipes from TRM with a diameter of DN 700 were used. Due to the very cramped conditions in some places and the many changes of direction required as a result, a large part of the pressure pipeline was executed with the VRS®-T/BLS shear- and tension-resistant connection system. The TRM pipe system enables efficient water drainage and supply to the power plant, even under the arduous alpine conditions of the Brandner Valley. The design of the pipes simplifies the installation with the possibility of directional adjustments of the pipe route due to bendability at the socket - so fittings could be saved. In addition to the technical requirements, TRM was able to score points above all for sustainability (the pipe system is made of almost 100% recycled material), short transport routes and comprehensive customer support.
Thanks to the excellent cooperation between the general planners breuß mähr bauingenieure gmbh, the company Jäger Bau GmbH, TRM and Kraftwerke Brand GmbH, which is wholly owned by the municipality of Brand, the project was implemented optimally within the planned schedule.
