Bauer relies on full e-power during Dutch infrastructure project

Innovative electric drill rig from Klemm in operation for the first time.

With its nearly 920,000 residents, the Dutch capital of Amsterdam is the most populous city in the Netherlands. On the list of the largest cities in the European Union, it comes in 17th. The number of residents is steadily growing, with around 1.5 million people now living in the metropolitan area. To manage the continually increasing traffic volume as a result of this expansion, various infrastructure projects have been initiated by Rijkswaterstraat, the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and Waterways. 

One of the most important of these projects is the large-scale road construction project "Schiphol-Amsterdam-Almere Corridor". Among other tasks, this includes expanding the A9 highway between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, southern Amsterdam and the community of Almere to the east of the city. Over a total of six construction phases, the existing three traffic lanes will be expanded to four in each direction. Furthermore, all connected structures have to be widened, new interconnections with side roads have to be created, along with the construction of new bridges and tunnels. The sixth and therefore last construction phase between the towns of Badhoevedorp and Holendrecht, with a length of 11.4 km, is being executed by Spanish general contractor FCC Construccion S.A.; FCC subcontracted the joint venture Funderingscombinatie GEWIX vof. – consisting of BAUER Funderingstechniek B.V., the Dutch subsidiary of Bauer Spezialtiefbau GmbH, and De Vries Titan B.V. – to install the necessary anchor piles.

During the work, particular attention is being paid to a section of roughly 1.7 km, which is being developed into three areas. The middle section splitting Amstelveen North and South referred to as “Deep Cut” will be secured with a total of approx. 12,000 anchor piles up to an average drilling depth of 33 m. The work began in June 2023 and is planned to be successfully completed in 2025. The first of three work phases is currently under construction on the north side of the existing highway. “One particular challenge is the limited workspace within the city and right next to the highway,” remarks Maarten Daalmeijer, Project Manager at Bauer Funderingstechniek B.V. “All works have to be coordinated so that traffic can continue unobstructed in the existing six traffic lanes.” Furthermore, the impact on the urban environment must be kept to a minimum. Another important challenge is the installation of the anchor piles at a high groundwater table. That’s because Amstelveen lies approx. -2 m to -5 m below NAP (sea level).

One special highlight in this project: For the first time, the newly developed electric KR 806-3E drilling rig from Klemm Bohrtechnik GmbH is being used alongside a conventional drilling rig. This innovative new development is equipped with a battery and a grid connection. “We have already completed a full working cycle including drilling and expansion entirely using the battery’s energy reserves,” continues Maarten Daalmeijer. “Unloading, driving and transfer operations have also been carried out autonomously.” Another bonus point: The new equipment runs extremely quietly. “Another crucial step has been taken in the area of electric drives for construction equipment.”