Trenchless technology supporting the energy transition
The use of trenchless technology with the right machinery is an ideal solution for constructing new power highways, as demonstrated by TRACTO customer Niks Infra with its GRUNDODRILL JCS300 in the Geldern region in Germany. There, the route of the A-Nord crosses, amongst other things, a nature reserve.
The construction of new high-voltage power lines is a key pillar of the energy transition in Germany. New main power lines along the main transport routes for wind power are the backbone of the grid expansion. One of these new north-south ‘power highways’ is the A-Nord operated by transmission system operator Amprion. The direct-current underground cable route, which is 300 kilometres long in total, starts in Emden-Petkum and ends at the converter station in the town of Meerbusch. For planning reasons, construction is divided into six sections. Construction of the A-Nord began in October 2023, commissioning is scheduled for 2027.
Where open-cut installation is not possible – for example, where existing infrastructure must be crossed or where nature conservation requirements apply – the trenchless method is used. This is also the case in section NRW3a, which runs from the Kleve/Wesel district boundary to the converter in Osterath-Meerbusch. Here, the route crosses, amongst other things, the Fleuthkuhlen Nature Reserve, which ruled out open-cut construction.
Niks Infra used its GRUNDODRILL JCS300 for the trenchless installation of eight protective pipes with diameters of 315 mm and 350 mm over a length of 490 metres. Using this HDD drilling rig, which is specially designed for long, repeatable bores such as those required in main grid construction, the work took just a few days per pipe.
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Key facts
- Geldern / Lower Rhine region / Germany, 2026
- Project: Trenchless installation of underground cables for the HVDC main power grid line A-Nord
- Application: Main grid construction
- Method: Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD)
- Machine used: GRUNDODRILL JCS300
