Each day, power stations in Scotland contribute a large amount of electricity into the National Grid via the transmission network. This network comprises of underground cables, overhead wooden poles, steel towers and electricity substations extending across some of the country’s most challenging terrain.
After several years exposed to the elements, parts of this complex network begin to breakdown. When left unmanaged, the disrepair of these parts could be devastating. One of the largest parts of this network, subject to the effects of the elements, are the steel transmission towers. These towers are supported by concrete bases which, over time, begin to decay. If these structures were to fall, the cost would be immense. Equally, if these structures were replaced, the cost would be substantial.
Having come across damaged concrete supports, the power company first tried to break off the concrete using breakers and bending rebars. When these attempts failed, the company contacted us to ask if we could help with such a repair.
We readily accepted the challenge and arrived at the transmission tower in a remote part of Scotland. As the ground conditions were soft, we lay a lot of ground protection mats to protect the land from the heavy traffic bringing in and taking away equipment to facilitate the repair.
While working on this project, we faced two main challenges:
- There was no water supply, hose pipe or hydrant on site, so all of the water we required had to be supplied via a tank.
- All of the waste water had to be cleaned up and removed from the site as the area, world famous for its salmon fishing, could not be polluted. To overcome this issue, we used our Siltbuster.
As water in the tank was limited, we opted to complete the job using our ultra-high pressure hydrodemolition robot, the Aqua Cutter 401a Evolution. This nimble robot enabled us to provide effective and accurate results all ahead of schedule!
If you have a challenging project and would like to request a quote or speak to one of our Hydroblast experts, contact us today.