Due to increasing demand, the plant has been expanded repeatedly, raising the annual capacity to a considerable 690,000 MWh of electricity and approximately 850,000 MWh heat energy.
One of the tallest structures in Austria
Even from a distance, you can see one of the power plant’s hallmarks: the smokestack. Measuring 183 m tall, it is one of the highest buildings in Austria. It was also this height that brought the company face to face with a costly conundrum every year: in order to evaluate and, if necessary, refurbish the upper part of the chimney, a special scaffolding had to be erected anew each time, from which workers could examine and repair the smokestack. In order to save labour and costs, the company began to search for a solution which was just as safe but more permanent. Finally, LINZ STROM GmbH found what they were looking for at INNOTECH. Many times before, TAURUS had shown how adaptable it is, and in the case of this smokestack it delivered once again. An INNOTECH employee well-versed in high-elevation projects climbed the tower to take measurements so that the radius of the custom-made curved tracks fit perfectly.
Two tracks, each approximately 10 metres long, now encircle the smokestack: one above and one underneath a platform 170 metres off the ground, which is accessible by lift. Each track system is outfitted with two horizontal TAURUS-GLEIT-H-11 sliders: one for the working rope and one for the safety rope. Industrial climbers can now work at any time, safely moving around the entire smokestack without switching tracks. That is, as long as they dress warmly; at 180 metres, the wind is so strong that the smokestack sways considerably. Fortunately, thanks INNOTECH, they are not at risk of falling.
