Pile Cap for Uniper at Connahs Quay Power Station

Pile Cap at Connahs Quay

Rhino Piling was invited to tender for a project on Connahs Quay power station as they looked to install a new vertical transformer. The transformer would require a strong and suitable foundation to be able to support the weight of the tower.

The site the piling would take place within required a longer visit than normal as our team’s first job is to assess if there are any dangers present as well as identifying which pieces of machinery and piling techniques would best suit the job. With the site being the premises of an operational power station that also contained sensitive, we had to have a close discussion with the team at Uniper to ascertain how to move forward.

Commercial Piling

Rhino Piling were initially only contracted to do the piling works but after the site visit, we were also asked to complete the steel fabrication work also.

With a deadline of 2 working days for works to be completed, Rhinopiling got to work immediately to complete the piling on day one and installation of the steel fabrication on day two.

The engineer for the project had designed a pile cap which stated the required loadings for the piles; Rhino Piling came up with a suitable pile design for the restricted overhead access due to power lines which also satisfied the pile loading criteria.

A week prior to Rhino Piling operatives beginning work on the site, an induction was held at Connahs Quay power station for the piling operatives that would be working on site.

On the 18^th of April 2019, Rhino piling began the work required at Connahs Quay power station. Firstly, we installed 4 x 150mm diameter piles to a working load specified by the engineer.

The steel work for the pile cap was prefabricated off-site and we had another piling operative deliver the steelwork to site the same day, this allowed us to install all the piles and the prefabricated steelwork in one day, putting the project a day ahead of schedule.