CTS goes to Montenegro to perform an exceptional feat
Montenegrin electricity stations are experiencing a phase of major upgrading of their power plants. The driving force behind these investments is undoubtedly the Italy-Montenegro interconnection infrastructure, inaugurated by Terna in 2019 and enabling the two countries to exchange electricity in a bidirectional manner.
In this context, CTS was engaged, on behalf of COMARK, a company based in Croatia, in the transport and positioning of two transformers of 198 tons each, installed respectively in the Podgorica and Lastva grbaljska substations. The project, which has been under study since the beginning of 2020, has suffered significant delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and have been completed at the beginning of 2021.
The transformers, manufactured in China, arrived in Montenegro by sea, landing at the Port of Bar. From there, the first transformer was loaded and transferred by road to the Podgorica power plant. For this transport, SPMT self-propelled modules and a special equipment, designed and manufactured by CTS, were used in order to keep the overall height within the dimensions allowed on the roads used, but above all within dimensions that would allow the passage through some tunnels.
The transport of the second transformer required more complex planning, as a sea barge had to be used. The exceptional convoy with the transformer on board was embarked at the Port of Bar and, after a coastal route of approximately 46 miles, it crossed the Boka Kotorska Bay and continued its journey to Opatovo. From here the convoy disembarked and continued overland to the Lastva grbaljska Station, where the transformer was placed on its final base ready to operate.
CTS has committed its specific expertise to the completion of this project, highlighting the skills of its technical department, which has developed all the engineering necessary for the implementation of the equipment and the overall feasibility study.
All the equipment needed to carry out the various stages of the project from lifting, transport and final installation was transferred from the CTS headquarters in Ravenna to the Montenegrin Port.
The exceptional convoy, with a total weight of 350 tonnes, consisted of two 11-axle SPMT modules with a total length of 45 metres.
The whole project took 40 days to be completed and involved four specialised CTS operators.
“The problems encountered during the various phases were considerable, but the difficulties were always successfully resolved thanks to the high level of professionalism of our staff, who always show great determination, even more so in difficult situations,” says Daniele Sansavini, CTS President
