POWER

TO THE

PEOPLE

BUILDING

OVERHEAD

LINES

SAROOJ CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

Quarterly Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 1 Jan - Feb - Mar 2012

IN THIS ISSUE: SC– 48 PROJECT OVERVIEW, PROJECT BACKGROUND, PROJECT SCOPE, ROUTE AND TOWERS,

ACCESS ROADS, SOIL INVESTIGATION, PLATFORMS AND FOUNDATIONS , STUB SETTING, TOWER

ERECTION, TEST FOUNDATIONS, COMPANY NEWS, PROJECT VISUALS.

Message From the General Manager...

Dear Colleagues,

Sarooj enjoys getting more and more involved

in challenging projects considering their site

conditions , their remoteness from main base, their

access through several boarder checkpoints, and

their location in urban congested areas or in the

desert wilderness.

Among these projects, are those concerned with

the construction of electrical overhead lines. To

satisfy the increasing demand of electricity in

Oman (around 11% every year), new lines as well

as extensions to the national grid have been built.

These are generally high voltage lines (132KV, 220

KV, and soon 400 KV). Furthermore, the sprawling

of cities up to the mountain toes pushed away the

route of these overhead lines towards inaccessible

areas where development is unlikely to take place.

Sarooj has acquired vast experience in the

construction of these tower lines. The 132 KV line

from Manahto Rusayl, the 132 KV line from Nizwa

to Ibri, the 220 KV line from Sohar to Seeb are

examples of these projects. The latest project is

being highlighted in this newsletter.

Notwithstanding the passion of this type of works,

Sarooj should always prepare meticulous planning

and implement rigorous management of hazards

inherent to construction activities on these projects

and especially when commuting between base and

site.

This acquired experience by Sarooj may be offered

to its valuable clients to add value engineering that

gives good returns. However, this should never

be envisaged if safety, quality, and integrity are

jeopardized.

Sarooj shall continue teaming with selected

partners to build such projects

Jad Karam

General Manager

CONTENTS

SC-48 Project Overview Pg 3

SC-48 Project Background Pg 4

SC-48 Project Scope Pg 5

SC-48 Route and Towers Pg 6

SC-48 Access Roads Pg 7

SC-48 Soil Investigation Pg 8

SC-48 Platforms and Foundations Pg 9

SC-48 Stub Setting Pg 11

SC-48 Tower Erection Pg 12

SC-48 Test Foundations Pg 13

Company News Pg 14

Project Visuals Pg 15

SC-48 BUIlDING OVERHEAD lINES

The Project:

Diversion of Overhead lines

The Client:

The Palace Office-Muscat

The Project Manager:

V.C. Pandian

The Engineer:

Mott McDonald

The Main Contractor:

GAM and Partners with Sarooj

location:

Muscat

Contract Duration:

12 months

Project Value:

8.5 Million Dollars

OVERVIEW

4

PREamblE

It was decided to build a government complex on an elevated plateau in Muscat. Three 132KV overhead lines

crossed the plot and had to be diverted away from the project boundaries towards high mountains and deep

wadis. GAM of Iran, another company from the Sarooj group, and Sarooj won the contract to build 3x 132KV new

lines extending about 7km each and making thus a total of 21kms of lines carried by 60 towers.

SC–48 PROJECT BACKGROUND

Access Roads Along The Route

Overlooking Qurum Area

Taking a Rest

The Route

5

All Anchors in Place

Fixing and Grounting Anchors

ROuTE & TOWERS

Usually a thorough survey should be carried out

in the mountains to be able determine a corridor

through which the route of the overhead line would

go. The land surveyor has to be good mountain

trekker as well as an accurate technician! A first attempt is made and the line is marked on the

ground. It is very seldom that the final route is established from the first attempt as a clearance has to be kept eventually between the lines and the

surrounding mountains. Refinements are made to

SC-48 PROJECT SCOPE

Hand Drilling for Rock Anchors

Excavation for Footings

satisfy this condition followed by adjustments on

site. Preliminary approval of the route is obtained

and at this stage the construction of temporary

access roads may start.

For each tower the centers of the four legs are

marked and a final site inspection takes places to establish, on the ground, whether certain locations

have to move slightly to accommodate the four

legs.

A final survey is carried out around the location to work out the final levels of the four legs. It is after this last phase that the final coordinates are determined. The shape of the tower and its full

design can be completed except for the type of

foundation. This will depend on the type of soil

encountered.

6

SC–48 ACCESS ROADS AND SOIl INVESTIGATION

aCCESS ROadS

For the safe movement of personnel, equipment

and vehicles, adequate access roads have to be

built and maintained. These roads would also

serve after construction for maintenance and

verification of the integrity of the line at all times. A critical factor is the gradient which should not be

greater than 15% to allow vehicles and equipment

to climp up and down safely. A main service road

would typically be built with links to every location.

Dust generated is controlled by spraying regularly

water on their surface.

SOIl INVESTIgaTION

Once the roads are built a soil investigation

campaign is started to establish what type of soil is

encountered in every location and a series of tests

is run to determine the various soil properties:

bearing capacity, electric resistivity, salts content…

Depending on these characteristics, the type of

foundation is established: pad and chimney type

or rock anchor type…

Fixing Steel Reinforcement

Checking

Concrete Pad to Receive Stub

Stub Setting

7

SC-48 PlATFORMS AND FOUNDATIONS

Vibrating Concrete

Concreting Against Natural Soil

PlaTfORmS

When the difference in level of the natural ground

between the high legs and the lower legs is not

great, the area around the tower center is levelled

and the top of the four legs foundations becomes

common.

If the difference is tangible, two strips are created

to provide access to machines and materials. The

four legs in this case would not be on the same

level. Different stubs will have to be provided.

Haunching Stubd End

Copper Earthing Strip

Pad- aNd- ChImNEy fOuNdaTIONS

Where the ground is not rocky or consisting of

very weathered rock, the foundations are of the

pad- and chimney type which spread the load

when compressed and resist to lifting by their

weight and the weight of the fill above them. The footings are backfilled in compacted layers.

ROCK aNChOR- fOuNdaTION

Where solid monolithic rock is encountered the

rock anchor type foundation is preferred. Holes

are drilled into the rock. Anchor rods inserted

and special grout poured into them. The rods

extensions are linked to the steel reinforcing bars

of the concrete footing forming thus a structure that

can take compression and relies on the anchors to

resist uplift.

8

SC-48 STUB SETTING

Backfilling Completed

Chimneys

STub SETTINg

These stubs should be procured and delivered at an early stage so

that the casting of the foundations may take place. Their lengths

are generally a multiple of a certain basic length l and they may

be 2L, 3L or even 4L. The tubs have to be fixed inclined to a given degree. The tolerance in their position is small and therefore they

have to be set firmly and accurately. To avoid the cumbersome templates, the stubs are held in position by two telescoping props

fixed to the ground hinges on one side and other set of hinges on the stub. This allows flexibility in adjustments.

Vibrating Concrete

Backfilling around Chimney

9

Harnessed Steel Erectors

Tower

Tower Erection

Bottom Tower

SC-48 TOWER ERECTION AND TEST FOUNDATIONS

TOWER ERECTION

Usually when on a flat terrain, the towers would be assembled in 2- 3

parts and lifted into position using

cranes. This is an easier and safer

manner. However, when working on

steep slopes in the mountains, the

towers are erected piece by piece

by steel fixers well trained and well harnessed to prevent incidents.

TEST fOuNdaTIONS

In order to verify the design

calculations, test foundations are

constructed in the vicinity and pulled

out until failure. These control tests

are carried out whenever the nature

of the ground changes.

10

SC-48 PROJECT VISUAlS

11

SC-48 PROJECT OVERVIEW

general Project features

length of Project 21km in Mountains

Number of Towers 60 Nos

Type of Overhead line 132KV

Access Roads 18 KM

12

ONSITE WORKFORCE

Jad Karamgeneral manager

V.C. PandianProject manager

Chawky g. RamyOperations manager (PmV)

mansoor El akouryConstruction manager

mohammed NazeerSupervisor

13

SAROOJ NEWS

COMPANY NEWS

• Justus Harding joined as Corporate HSE Manager. We wish him success with

everybody’s support as safety is common

responsibility.

• Heinrich Peter Hertl joined as `Earthworks΄ general supervisor and assumed his

assignment on the Musandam Gas Plant

Project (MGP).

• The company acquired the largest excavator manufactured by caterpillar. It is the CAT

385.

• Sarooj participated to the annual European Community Council gala dinner. Sarooj has

three major European strategic partners

namely Majus (UK), Bauer (Germany) and

Colas (France).

• Elie Nammour and Mohammad Naseer Mammoo attended an advance course in MS

Projects as part of their training programme.

• Sarooj, Hanjin, and Lotte of south Korea have agreed to form a joint venture to tender

for the Batinah Expressway- Package 3

• Anthony Helou and Kamran Sami travelled to Singapore representing Sarooj in the

potential Joint Venture between Mitsui,

Hyflux and Sarooj to bid for the al Ghubrah power and desalination plant extension.

• Sarooj came lowest bidder (L1) in the Madha road project tender.

• Sarooj were awarded a contract in Muscat for the rehabilitation of three bridges in the

Capital Area namely wadi Adai, Hamriya,

and Ruwi.

14

SAROOJ NEWS

COMPANY NEWS

15

Sarooj Construction Company LLC ● P.O.Box 1413, Postal Code 112 ● Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.Telephone: (+968) 24 596001 ● Fax: (+968) 24 596011

www.sarooj.com ● info@sarooj.com

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