Danube Undercrossing, Sarinasuf - Crișan

Crossing Beneath the Danube, a unique project in Romania

ELM Electromontaj Cluj developed and implemented an extensive project in the Danube Delta area, for the reinforcement of tower foundations and the modernization of the 110 kV overhead power line. The works at Sarinasuf –Crişan came as a response to the massive deterioration that occurred over time, the 110 kV Sarinasuf-Crişan overhead line being affected in the area of the Sf. Gheorghe Branch crossing by bank erosion.

The works consisted mainly of repairing and waterproofing the concrete foundations and towers, replacing the clamps, fittings and damaged conductor, installing vibration dampers and numbering and warning plates, and laying 110 kV cable.

The special conditions of this project arose near the Danube Delta, where, as an alternative to the conventional options, the company proposed replacing the overhead power line with an underground power line, the proposed cable route having a length of approximately 2.100 m, of which 540 m runs beneath the Sfântu Gheorghe Branch.

This undercrossing length achieved is the largest in Romania to date.

By opting for a full undercrossing of the Danube, the drawbacks of the initial project were eliminated: the impossibility of transporting the drilling equipment onto the sandbar, and the construction of the jointing chamber in the flood-prone area of the sandbar.