Three firms share project to revive 1920s Danube lock and hydropower plant

The Kachlet Barrage in Passau, Germany (Image: Habau/Norbert Enders)

Porr, Habau, and Felbermayr will work as part of a consortium to overhaul the Kachlet Danube barrage in Passau, located in Lower Bavaria, Germany.

Passau is known as the ‘City of Three Rivers’ because it sits at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz.

Porr said work on the 99-year-old Kachlet barrage represents the biggest modernisation project in Bavaria.

Work is expected to take place over 13 years and involves the demolition of existing structures down to the foundation, construction of two new lock chambers one at a time, and the installation of modern lock gate technology.

The three firms, working for the Waterways Construction Office in Magdeburg, will start with the six-year reconstruction of the southern lock. In the interim period, traffic will be routed via the northern lock and then vice versa.

Each lock will be approximately 335m long and 24m wide when completed.

Guido Zander, head of the Waterways and Shipping Office Danube MDK (WSA) responsible for operation and maintenance, said, “Having been in operation for almost 100 years, the Kachlet barrage is an example of outstanding engineering. With the necessary modernisation and full refurbishment now under way, the structure will be made ‘fit’ for the next 100 years. This will make an important contribution to ensuring that the international Rhine-Main-Danube connection remains safe and reliable in the future for the environmentally friendly and energy-saving mode of transport that is shipping.”

Porr CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss said, “Construction work on the water using ships is always challenging. This project involves the sophisticated interplay of different activities. For example, excavators with special cutters, standing on pontoons, will cut slots into the existing lock walls. Anchors will then be drilled into these recesses and the niches will be sealed up again with concrete. Together with our partners, we are proud to be able to demonstrate the full breadth of Porr’s expertise.”

Hubert Wetschnig, CEO of the Habau Group added, “The general refurbishment of the Kachlet lock is a large-scale project of exceptional engineering complexity. The works require the utmost precision in both planning and execution. For this, Habau is contributing its proven expertise in engineering and hydraulic engineering to work with its consortium partners to create a permanently safe and efficient infrastructure for the Danube.”

Felbermayr-Bau will undertake dredging work, the provision of floating units, demolition and earthworks, and pipeline and road construction.