The technology partner of TAIM WESER in Colombia, IMOCOM, introduced the two aforementioned bridge cranes to the trade press of the country on the 23rd of June. These bridge cranes were jointly developed by the two above mentioned companies for Isagen, the Colombian company that is undertaking the Hidrosogamoso project which comprises the construction of a large dam located in the Santander Department in north-western Colombia, which will have an installed capacity of 820 MW upon its completion in 2014.
These cranes, which will be installed in the underground powerhouse of the dam, have a capacity of 332 tons with an overall span length of 22.1 m between its tracks and are the largest bridge cranes that have ever been manufactured in Colombia.
It is expected that the two bridge cranes will arrive at the dam during the first half of August, 2011 and, following the corresponding assembly, the load and no-load tests shall be carried out prior to its final commissioning. To develop this type of equipment, very complex engineering and technological capabilities are required of which only a small number of companies in the world possess, among them being TAIM WESER.
IMOCOM presented the cranes, taking advantage of the inauguration of its new plant in Siberia, Cundinamarca (Colombia). This plant possesses 4,500 m2 of surface area and is equipped with state of the art equipment and is one of the largest and most modern factories of cranes in Colombia today.
Perfect synergy and future projects
The collaboration between TAIM WESER and IMOCOM dates back to 2004. TAIM WESER performs the engineering design and the calculation values of the cranes, in addition to providing its brand name and warranty. For its part, IMOCOM, following these guidelines, becomes responsible for the manufacture of the beams and the buffer beams, as well as the mainstreaming of the electrical equipment and the assembly process of the cranes.
The development of these last two cranes is a sign of the excellent synergy and the proper technological collaboration between the two companies, which has enabled them to successfully compete in large-scale international bids that have been awarded them. One example is the PORCE III project, in which two bridge cranes with a 190 ton capacity each were provided for the assembly and maintenance in the Porce Hydroelectric Power Plant in Colombia. Other examples are the recently commissioned Hidrosogamoso project, as well as the latest project that has been awarded, the Hydroelectric Power Plant in El Quimbo, which is currently under development for the EMGESA-ENDESA company and consists in the provision of two bridge cranes with a capacity of 220/50 tons and a span length of 24.3 m between tracks for the maintenance and installation operations.
The manufacture of large capacity cranes is an important market in hydroelectric projects in this part of the world, especially for the lifting of the turbines and generators in the machine room, thus TAIM WESER and IMOCOM shall continue to seek to develop various projects in this region.