One millimetre. This is the tolerance with which the foundations for the new type of power line tower had to be prepared – the portal shielded tower. It was built for the first time in the Czech Republic by ELEKTROTRANS and the installation was watched live by representatives of the investor ČEPS and other project partners.
“The key part was the installation of the central part between the two legs of the mast. There was a lot of nervousness because of the weather, especially the very strong wind. We are all the more pleased that it was done,” says Martin Zeman, ELEKTROTRANS CEO.

Around ten fitters had the task of assembling the mast from seven segments in a single morning. The entire structure is 18 metres high, and the diameter of the tube is 1.8 metres. “The mast weighs 45 tonnes and is piloted. This means that it stands on 48 pile foundations. The most challenging part is to align the footing baskets, which must be built to within one millimetre in height, spacing and rotation,” says Jaroslav Burian, the construction manager. The construction of the footings was therefore supervised by surveyors. from Hrdlička spol. s r.o.
The new type of pylon near Kadan itself helped to resolve the specific situation with the crossing of the existing particularly high voltage line from Germany and the new 400 kV line, which is being built by ELEKTROTRANS at the site. In order to support the existing line, we had to dismantle one of the existing poles and replace it with a higher one,” explains Luděk Krba, director of the line design. At the same time, the builders had to “fit” between two existing lines. This is where one of the advantages of the new mast type became apparent. “The shielded mast is used here because it is narrower. We can put the individual shafts of the mast closer together and take up less space,” explains Luděk Krba, chief designer of ELEKTROTRANS.

But the new fencing poles will also be used in other places. “The construction is more subtle than conventional truss masts, so it is less visible in the landscape,” explains Luděk Krba? A similar mast construction is used in the Czech Republic for 22 kV, but it was first used in the Czech Republic for 400 kV lines. “Similar constructions are used abroad and, according to my information, they are also used in Slovakia. However, it is the first time in the Czech Republic. I am happy that this extraordinary event was successful and that we could show it live to our partners and investors,” concludes CEO Martin Zeman.

The new fence poles are part of the brand new V487488 line, which has a total of 90 poles. As part of the winning consortium, ELEKTRORANS is constructing the first 23 support points, four of which are of the new type.