The PCC 57.002 crawler-mounted crane is working in a 73 metre x 25 metre x 40 metre high cavern deep inside the mountains at Uttendorf in Upper Pinzgau, near Salzburg.
Contractor Swietelsky is building the subterranean power plant for the new Tauernmoos pumped storage facility for ÖBB-Infrastruktur.
Around 15,000m³ of concrete and 2,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel, along with formwork panels and associated machinery must be lifted and installed within the cavern in a very confined space and on a tight schedule.
Normal construction cranes cannot operate within the confined space of the cavern, but the Palfinger’s compact dimensions and articulating boom are perfectly suited to the project’s lifting requirements.
Measuring just 5.8 metres by 1.9 meters, the 4.5 tonne-capacity crane has a working radius of almost 30 meters and can lift 3.7 tonnes to a height of 18 meters and a radius of eight meters.
The crane is also required to operate at various levels within the 40metre-high cavern. For this, the crane superstructure dismounts from its crawler undercarriage and the two components are hoisted to the next level separately.
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