Geothermal energy
For further information on our geothermal energy business, please see page 31.
HOCHTIEF Facility Management also gains experience with geothermal energy pumps in its building operation activities. An example is the Lufthansa Training & Conference Center, which is supplied with heat by an eco-friendly geothermal energy system.
Solar thermal power
In partnership with MAN Solar Millennium, Leighton Contractors is developing solar thermal power plants for Australia. These convert direct solar radiation into heat to generate large quantities of electricity. The environmentally friendly power plants have an output of up to 250 megawatt-hours per year and can generate electricity for approximately a million people. Wind farms Our Odin jack-up platform is currently in use on the construction of “alpha ventus,” Germany’s first offshore wind farm north of the island of Borkum. Sixty-meter jack-up legs permit work at depths of up to 45 meters. A permanently installed 300-metric-ton crane makes it possible to work safely and efficiently from the water. We have further extended the potential siting radius for wind turbines with our new Thor jack-up platform. Eighty-two-meter jack-up legs allow this platform to serve at depths of up to 50 meters. A huge payload and large deck area make for maximum operating efficiency even in stormy conditions.
Hydroelectric power plants
The Glendoe Hydro Scheme built at the southern end of Loch Ness is projected to generate 100 megawatts of electricity for up to 250,000 households. Glendoe was opened by the Queen in June 2009. The power plant, which HOCHTIEF Construction completed in February 2009, retains the water behind a dam. Mechanical energy from water allowed to flow out of the dam is converted into electricity—a very environment-friendly method of power generation with no carbon emissions. Two environmental engineers made sure that high environmental management standards were observed throughout the construction process. Specialists were also on hand to provide advice on ecology, forestry, ornithology and landscape architecture.*
HOCHTIEF do Brasil has implemented a range of measures to minimize environmental impact when constructing small hydroelectric power plants. An example is the Irarà hydro plant in Brazil’s mid-west. The project was completed in November 2008 and has a capacity of 30 megawatts, as do two further hydroelectric plants in the state of Goiás. Local environment protection measures included controlled fire clearing, monitoring of soil changes as well as reforestation of karst areas and sloping land.
Activities within the Group
Since spring 2008, the previous in-house suggestion scheme at HOCHTIEF has been replaced by the “Ideas Room.”** In the fall of 2008, a special campaign was launched in this connection with the focus on saving energy and protecting the climate. HOCHTIEF staff submitted a large number of ideas. Based on the potential savings, the subsequent review produced three action areas: Changes in user behavior relating to energy consumption, fuel consumption and the use of communications media. Employee awareness of these issues is fostered in various ways.