DAM IMPRESSIVE

18 // PROJECT
Final touches to the
‘New Road’.
Extending for
200 km, the
Rhodope
Mountains form a
barrier between
Bulgaria and
Greece. This
ancient, forested
mountain range
was formed
around 350
million years ago,
making it one of
the oldest in
Europe. The Alps,
by comparison,
are a mere 35 million
years old.
The concrete-lined Gashnya Valley, which will soon contain
110 million cubic metres of water.
ing the valley with shotcrete – just
in case.
diZZY heightS of ConCRete
All things considered, the main element
of the construction project
was almost child’s play. Work was
able to continue almost around the
clock on the 130.5-metre-high arch
dam, with its 457-metre crest and
535,000 cubic metres of concrete.
A very special machine, however,
was required for this work. The
cable crane which helped the dam
to grow at such speed first had to
be brought to the Rhodopes – no
easy task given its massive dimensions.
Able to lift up to 26 tons, it is
used not only to convey the concrete
quickly and precisely at dizzying
heights, but also to lift heavy
equipment to the places where it
is needed. The cable crane ceases
work only twice a day, and that
only briefly, when the responsible
master engineer checks all of the
rollers on his inspection rounds.
But all of these challenges became
a thing of the past in summer 2010.
The water has been mounting up
since June, and most of the work
is finished. Only one person is still
under pressure. ‘Now, of course, we
have to make sure that all of the machinery
is disposed of as efficiently
as possible,’ says Franz Fussi, sitting
before faxed lists of spare-parts
prices. Hailing from Styria, there is
something of the used-car sales-
man about him, especially when,
with shining eyes, he waxes lyrical
on the exceptional condition of his
diggers, trucks and other equipment
– once his mechanics have
finished with them. After that they
will be relocated to other construction
sites, given back to their owners,
or sold off. Considering the fact
that the machinery alone is worth
around 16 million euros, it is incredible
– almost moving – how
Fussi still picks up on every single
potential saving, however small.
You quickly realise why companies
everywhere call him in. He is worth
the money.
CoRinthian noodleS and
RoaSt-ChiCken Salad
Like most of the other expats, Fussi
is not troubled by homesickness,
despite the fact that the work for
him is far from finished. All of them
enjoy the option of two weeks’
home leave after every six weeks’
work on the building project. All
of them, that is, except the project
managers, who are indispensible
for all but the odd weekend.
There are however compensations.
The container village where they
reside may be a thousand miles
from home, but there is always the
Corinthian cook at hand to rustle
up some of the food they love and
miss.
Peter Gfrerer, however, rarely
gets the chance to enjoy Corinthi-
fACTS & fIGURES
catchment area: 1,214 sq km
Annual inflow: 650 million cu. m
Average inflow: 69.5 cu. m/s
useable inflow: 580 million cu. m
reservoir area: 3.27 sq km
Total volume: 111 million cu. m
Top water level: 685 m
useful volume: 41 million cu. m
Minimum operating level: 670 m
nominal power output: 2 × 40 MW
Minimum water level: 648 m
electricity generated: 185 gWh/a
Max. drop height: 136 m
generator type: Francis turbine
an noodles or Backhendlsalat, an
Austrian chicken dish. Head of the
Bulgaria office and director of the
hydroelectric power station–construction
department, he leads a
high-mileage life commuting between
Tsankov Kamak, Sofia, his
home region of Corinthia, and his
current residence in Germany. He
happily foregoes home cooking just
so long as he knows that everything
is being taken care of on the largescale
projects for which he is responsible.
Looking at the dam from
a distance on this peaceful summer’s
day in 2010, his eyes speak
of relief. ‘Now I know there’s nothing
we cannot build,’ he says. //