Porr Tunnelbau is preparing to drill a 350m deep shaft as part of the ongoing conversion of the Rudolf Fettweis power plant in Forbach into a pumped storage facility. The project is being carried out for EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG.
The company began pilot drilling in late June. The 350mm-diameter bore serves as a guide for expanding the shaft to a final diameter of about 3.1 meters. To do this, crews are installing an 11-ton drill head, or reamer, on the drill rod. Porr reached the cavern at the base of the shaft in less than two weeks.
Meanwhile, work continues in the Schwarzenbach section of the project. Excavation is complete on the access tunnel and throttle chamber. Drilling and blasting are ongoing in the cavern, where crown and benches one and two have been excavated. Work on bench three has now started.
Construction on the tunnel and cavern system began in autumn 2023. In May, Porr completed the breakthrough of the Murgwerk access tunnel. The breakthrough of the energy diversion tunnel and installation of the crane runway beam were completed earlier in the project.
The upgraded Rudolf Fettweis plant is scheduled to be operational by 2027.
