Engineering specialist Sigdo Koppers has been employed by main contractor BARA to build the new facility for state-owned mining producer Codelco (Corporación National del Cobre de Chile).
Sigdo Koppers has ordered a further five Grove RTs to work a pulp and paper contract in southern Chile. The order comprises two RT 870Es, two RT 530Es, and one RT 760E.
Meanwhile, A Manitowoc model 18000 crawler crane is being used during the construction of the Fuyang Power Plant in Anhui Province, China.
The 750t (840USt) crane is owned by Anhui Electric Power Corporation (AEPC), which is building the two-unit facility.
The development boasts a wider powerhouse than normal, which requires stronger and heavier structural support beams. The crane has been used to erect a variety of heavy components on the first of two 600 MW units, including structural beams, turbines, and coal buckets.
The heaviest lift involved setting the 250t (276USt) rotary section of the turbine, which measured 10m (33ft) in length, and 4m (13ft) in diameter. Other large lifts included two transformers – each weighing approximately 100t (110USt).
The model 18000 has been rigged with 106m (348ft) of main boom and 39.6m (130ft) of luffing jib for its work on the Anhui site. This configuration provides ample reach for the work on the first structure, which relies on a team of three operators each working an eight-hour shift.
