Ivory Coast: manufacturing and installation of offshore cooling pipelines for a thermal power plant
Friedlander Côte d’Ivoire has successfully completed the installation of two high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines in the Ebrié lagoon. The pipelines are part of the cooling systems for the new Atinkou combined-cycle thermal power plant built in the Jacqueville region, some 30 km from Abidjan.
The Friedlander Côte d’Ivoire teams working on the construction of the power plant’s cooling pipes were highly adaptable. The project involved the manufacture and installation of piping and adjacent equipment between the land and a nearby lagoon.
Onshore preparation, offshore installation
All prefabrication work for this project was carried out onshore (welding of tubes, construction of concrete ballast tanks). The offshore work involved dredging and positioning the piping. The particularity of this project was that the customer did not wish to block navigation in the area, so complete dredging was out of the question. A floating excavator, fitted with a pump to evacuate sediment, dug a three-metre-deep trench. The pipelines, initially held in a floating position, were later submerged to their final destination.
The range of services provided by Friedlander is extensive:
- Prefabrication and installation of the pumping station’s pillars
- Assembly and transportation of the station to the lagoon
- Prefabrication of concrete ballasts
- Welding of the HDPE pipes
- Launching of the pipelines into the lagoon
- Submersion operations
- Connecting the pipelines to the pumping station
- Laying electrical cables
A project subject to local environmental regulations
This project, carried out in a natural environment, required considerable sensitivity to environmental issues. “We complied with local authority regulations in terms of sediment management, public information and navigation permits” explained Yves Chameroy. The project achieved a “zero accident” record, despite its unique challenges involving alternating work between land and water.
Specialized onshore industrial services
Friedlander employs a workforce of over 700 people on its projects in Côte d’Ivoire, providing multi-skilled onshore services (fabrication, welding, installation) in various industrial sectors (energy, food processing, storage). The experience the company has acquired over decades in these fields and the know-how of its teams enable Friedlander to explore and adapt to new contexts, as demonstrated by the Atinkou aquatic project. The challenge has been met!
In the course of this project, the Ortec Group acquired additional property enabling Friedlander Côte d’Ivoire to establish a second site in the country.
Key Figures:
- 1.4 km length for each pipeline, including 1.2 km underwater
- 400 mm and 560 mm diameters
- 105,000 work hours
- 0 accidents
- 95% local employment
