Message from Stefan Kipp EMD of AlBihouth
As July draws to a close, I want to commend the entire project team for maintaining momentum during the peak summer conditions, despite the challenges posed by the heat and humidity, and the necessary restrictions to working hours around midday. Mechanical and Electrical erection works are now in full swing, with our site workforce up to 1,000 and over 1.5 million safe hours worked without LTI. Colleagues from the Abu Dhabi grid operator TAQA have now joined our project teams at site, to ensure effective communication and coordination is maintained as we progress our plans for grid connection.
Project Summary to Date
We continued to receive major component parts to site this month, and we now have feed hoppers, ram feeders and bottom ash extraction components for lines 1 and 2 in our laydown areas. Erection of the structural steel for the first boiler, known as cube 101, is progressing well with visible progress noted every day. Our EPC contractor has cleared additional space adjacent to the waste bunker to enable pre-assembly of multiple components prior to erection.
Around the site the multitude of plant buildings and structures are becoming recognizable. The turbine hall foundation has been cast this month, and the supporting columns for the turbine table are in place. Following extensive sub-surface works in the administration building foundation, the main ground floor base is now cast. The external structures that will support the waste bunker roof are progressing on the north and south side and the walls for the structure housing the main firewater tank are cast.
Foundation works in the workshop and storage building have intensified this month, and construction of the HV substation and transformer bays are now above ground level. The structure that will house the main service air compressors is at full height, and excavations for the diesel fuel tanks and utilities silos are completed.
Off-site a number of factory acceptance tests are ongoing at supplier facilities in Asia, Europe and here in UAE. Members of my team attend these tests to ensure that equipment manufactured meets our strict standards for production quality and functionality before shipping to the project site. Equipment arriving at site is inspected to ensure there has been no damage during transportation, which often involves road and sea transfers. All installed equipment will be subject to testing in situ as part of the commissioning process, and careful preservation of sensitive equipment is necessary to prevent damage and degradation during erection. We continue to hold regular meetings with our colleagues at TAQA distribution, to ensure that the necessary compliance documentation and equipment specifications for the HV connections meet with regulations.
Representatives from project lenders conducted a quarterly site visit this month, to ensure that project progress, equipment quality and standards for environmental control and safety meet with expectations. Our project lenders are drawn from an international group of banks, and we also provide monthly reports to lenders summarizing our work.
HSE Update
Our EPC contractor has increased the number of safety professionals at site this month. This is in line with regulatory standards for the ratio of safety personnel to construction staff, which ensures that all site activities during day and night shifts are adequately supervised. Our safety officers are carefully vetted prior to selection to ensure they hold the necessary qualifications and work experience required.
On the 30th July we held the monthly safety award ceremony at site. Project workers who display excellence in safety performance are nominated for their actions, and they receive awards and prizes at monthly award ceremonies, hosted by senior management from the EPC and Owner teams. Rewarding safety performance is a powerful way to develop and embed our safety culture within the project community.
Our EPC contractor produces a monthly and quarterly HSE dashboard, that captures the range of safety statistics we collect. This database allows us to trend our safety performance, and helps us to identify and mitigate any emerging safety issues. We share details of our safety performance with our project stakeholders in regular meetings and reports.