€175 million Algerian dam takes shape with Potain tower cranes
When French contractor Razel-Bec part of construction giant Fayat Group won the contract to build the Tabellout Dam for the Algerian government it immediately specified Potain cranes for the job. The company had previously used two of its Potain MD 345 cranes on Algeria’s Koudiat Acerdoune dam six years ago where the cranes worked 24/7 to help the project meet its deadline and budget targets.
For this Tabellout Dam project Razel-Bec relied on its past experience by selecting the same pair of cranes from its fleet giving both a complete inspection and overhaul before sending them off. Also selected to work with the MD 345s on the dam were an MD 365 supplied by international rental company Arcomet and an MD 175 also from Razel-Bec’s own fleet which will construct the headrace tunnel feeding the dam’s turbines.
Jacky Legras crane fleet manager at Razel-Bec said selecting Potain cranes for this latest job was an easy choice.
“Our MD 345 cranes worked well on the Koudiat Acerdoune dam and they were in great shape when we chose them for the Tabellout Dam job ” he said. “We gave them a full service and a coat of paint to ensure they will work efficiently and also look the part on this very high profile job.
“We like Potain cranes because they are reliable and durable. Support is available whenever we need it whether it’s advice on configuring a crane or guidance on parts and service. One call to a Manitowoc contact center and we have a crane expert to handle all of our service and technical needs.”
The cranes are providing general lifting and concrete pouring duties on what will become one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country’s history. A total of 1 million m3 of concrete will be used in the dam which is being built from Roller Compacted Concrete. Once complete the dam will measure
120 m high and 400 m across while thickness will range from 100 m at ground level to 8 m at the ridge. Construction will take 45 months.
To pour the concrete the two 12 t capacity MD 345s and the 16 t capacity MD 365 are skipping 3 m3 buckets into the dam structure. These buckets are easily handled by the cranes even out to their maximum jib lengths which stretch up to 75 m. Final working heights for the cranes will be up to 135 m. On the headrace tunnel construction the 8 t capacity MD 175 is lifting concrete sections and various other loads.
The dam is being built at Jijel close to the northeastern town of Sétif located 350 km from Algiers and 30 km from the coast. It is part of a range of development work that is taking place in the Sétif high plains. Jijel was chosen as the site of the dam because it’s an area of high rainfall and siting it there will allow it to irrigate and provide drinking water to the drier high plains region. Once complete the project will deliver 34 million m3 of drinking water and 88 million m3 of water for agricultural use annually.
