Hydro power plant Rechtenstein – reconstruction by building new
After receiving the approval, the rebuilding of the HEP Rechtenstein started in February 2016. At the beginning of the construction work, an overcut bored pile wall was erected on the right bank of the Danube. To generate the construction pit enclosure, a cofferdam was built from the underwater to the enclosure of the weir field 2 construction site. The drainage was carried out by means of gravitational wells as open drainage. After establishing the drainage, the excavation of the new weir field took place. The civil construction of stilling basin plate, right bank and the pier, the setting of hydro-mechanical equipment began with the mounting of „the first concrete parts“ for the bearings of the fish belly flap. Subsequently, the fish belly flap was installed operationally and provisionally moved to the lowest position.
With completion of construction phase 2, the diversion to construction section 3 took place by dismantling the right bank connected cofferdam and established the cofferdam for construction section 3 with a connection on the left bank upstream and downstream. First, the existing bottom outlet was dismantled. Subsequently, the stilling basin plate and the left bank wall weir field 1 were executed.
Simultaneously work began on the new bottom outlet, the addition of powerhouse for the fourth turbine, the rebuilding of the existing rake, including rake cleaning and the upstream fish migration facility. The commissioning of the power plant took place after completion of the measures of the 3rd construction phase in July 2017. Dr. Hutarew & Partner acted as general planner for the owner and operator, Dipl. Ing. Reitter Wasserkraftanlagen GmbH & Co. KG. The following project objectives were implemented in the context of the modernization of the renewable energy plant Rechtenstein: Modernization of the weir plant, renewal of the clearing and bottom discharge, establishing the continuity of the waterway between the upper and lower water level as well as the construction of a fourth machine to use the natural water availability.