If the power to the construction site in Rødbyhavn is cut off without warning for a few hours, it can cost a large sum of millions in wasted materials and damaged machinery. It is, therefore, crucial that any interruptions are notified in good time so that they can plan accordingly.
Stable supply is critical
Hans Kristoffersen is the director of CPT A/S, which, among other things, builds concrete mixing plants and is a part of the team building the element factory in Rødbyhavn. He says that a stable energy supply is critical for the concrete mixing process. And when it is at the scale that takes place in Rødbyhavn, there is a lot of money at stake:
– After all, Denmark is not in Africa, and here we are not used to power cuts. And in a mixing plant, it’s not good, he says with clear understatement in his voice.
Draws 250 kiloVolt-Ampere
The concrete mixing process at the element factory is a very energy-intensive process. The plant consist of six units each needing 250 kiloVolt Ampere for the process, and if it is interrupted, it can be expensive:
– For a concrete manufacturer, stopping the process is not really difficult. You stop the machines and wash them, and nothing special happens. But if it is unannounced and in the middle of the process, the concrete solidifies and cannot be removed from the machines without damage. There is an emergency solution with hand-operated hydraulic pumps that can be opened. But it is financially unmanageable. And with a facility like the one on the Fehmarn site, we are talking about a large sum of millions, says Hans Kristoffersen from CPT A/S.
The construction site is a “geographical area”
The Danish Energy Agency has announced that, in the event of excessive pressure on the electricity grid, it may be necessary to shut off the electricity for two hours at a time in selected geographical areas. To that, Hans Kristoffersen says:
– Then, the construction site has to be a geographical area that is ignored. We are talking about a lot of money if you don’t complete the process. He says we are talking about millions – but without specifying a specific amount.
