Kirn, 31 January 2025

Initial situation

In the period from 2022 to April 2024, the largest solar park in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) to date was created over an area of more than 2 km² in the southern Eifel region. The electricity produced at the facility was to be fed into the public power grid

via a cable route spanning approx. 30 kilometres. Schenk AG, a company based in Switzerland, was commissioned to lay the cable ducts along the Moselle, as it is one of the leading specialists in horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and was considered best suited to the challenging task of installing the protective pipes along and under the river. The cable ducts supplied by SIMONA had to be suitably robust and tension-resistant.

Task

The location of this project is by no means a coincidence, given the abundance of open space in the southern Eifel region. The solar park is spread over eleven separate sites with a total of 380,000 photovoltaic modules, which are connected by a 30-kilometre cable route.

The contrasting features of the landscape, from stony slopes, a river and agricultural fields to road crossings, pose a particular challenge when it comes to horizontal drilling. In addition, the operator of the facility was keen to lay the cable routes as quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Last but not least, the project itself – centred around the production of renewable energy – naturally called for a sustainable installation process.

SIMONA PE® 100 cable protection pipes offer a number of key benefits.

Solution

The products used included SIMONA PE® 100 cable protection pipes d 225 SDR 7.4 and SDR 11 in lengths of 12 metres. Thanks to their long-term temperature resistance, PE materials guarantee a service life of over 100 years, even when exposed to high temperatures. Additionally, they are corrosion-resistant and highly resilient to mechanical loads. The process of laying the cable ducts is fast and efficient. After installation, the pipework underneath remains fully accessible.

Drawing on its expertise in horizontal drilling technology, Schenk has been working with SIMONA for many years. The long-standing partnership, which includes coordinating the use of suitable products for special applications, and the extensive range of piping products available provide the basis for best-in-class results.