News

A significant milestone has been reached for the DolWin4 and BorWin4 offshore grid connection systems.

DolWin4 and BorWin4 connect the large wind farms in the North Sea with the onshore transmission grid. The connection points are located in North-West Germany and the onshore connections are planned to be implemented as underground cables.

The project developer Amprion GmbH has taken an important step towards obtaining a building permit by submitting the application for official plan approval. For the southernmost section of the onshore route of the two grid connection systems, all documents have been submitted to the respective authorities on time. This paves the way for the next steps and brings the project developer closer to receiving the final decision from the approval authority.

ILF significantly contributed to the success of this project with the timely delivery of the technical design. The fact that the schedule was successfully met, at all times, is the result of all project parties cooperating very effectively with each other and the trust built up between the service provider and client.
We look forward to continuing to assist the project developer, applying our expertise in this project.

To reduce the amount of through traffic in the Swiss municipality of Näfels, a bypass is planned to the North. ILF, as part of the IG Niederberg, and together with B+S, is involved in the design works for the bypass tunnel.

When complete, the 2.8-km-long Näfels bypass will consist of a 700-m-long section of open road in the North, the 1.8-km-long Niederberg Tunnel and a 300-m-long section in the South with a new junction connecting the bypass to the existing cantonal road.

ILF and its partner are responsible for the construction design and detailed design of the two-lane Niederberg Tunnel, which shall be operated as a two-way traffic tunnel. We would like to thank ASTRA, the Swiss Federal Roads Office, for the contract and are very much looking forward to carrying out this exciting task.

The Point Tupper Green Hydrogen/Ammonia Project is considered one of the most advanced projects for the large-scale production of green ammonia. The aim of the project is to produce certified green hydrogen and ammonia to meet increased global demand. This project also makes it possible to reduce the amount of CO₂ emissions compared to the amount emitted from conventional ammonia production processes.
EverWind Fuels plans to deliver certified green hydrogen to German offtakers by 2025. Supplying the German market with green hydrogen is an important goal of the historic hydrogen alliance between Canada and Germany. The agreement was signed in August 2022 and contributes to achieving climate targets.

ILF is pleased to be able to support EverWind Fuels in this pioneering project as a Project Management Consultant (PMC).
​​​​​​​We will also lend technical support to EverWind Fuels and perform the Design Review for the EPC Contractor.

For the initial phase of green hydrogen and green ammonia production (200,000 tonnes per year), EverWind has received environmental approval from the Canadian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change for their project, with an investment volume of more than USD 1 billion.
Construction of the hydrogen and ammonia production plant is planned to commence in 2023, on an industrial site at Point Tupper in Nova Scotia, Canada. The jetty at the existing EverWind Fuels’ tank farm will be used to load the ammonia onto ships.
In the first phase, certified green electricity will be used. This electricity will mainly come from newly installed regional wind farms and will be transported via the public grid. In a second phase, the facility will be significantly expanded and for this purpose, separate 2GW wind farms will be developed.

The National Water Company (NWC) of Saudi Arabia is addressing the problem of high salinity levels in the drinking water in six cities in the Eastern region of the country through a new program. The NWC plans to construct transmission lines with a total length of 520 km, 21 pumping stations and 42 storage tanks. In addition, the overall network will be extended to serve new areas and old pipelines will be replaced to reduce water losses.

An additional 420,000 m³/day of water is needed from alternative sources before all of the existing groundwater wells which have high salinity levels can be closed, and to cater for the future demand of 1,370,000 m³/day. This additional water will be supplied by the Saline Water Conversion Company (SWCC KSA) in Saudi Arabia.

The NWC has entrusted ILF with the project management, construction supervision, and  design review services for this program – the currently biggest urban water supply program in Saudi Arabia.

Red Sea Global, the developer of the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism destinations, has appointed ILF as an Independent Engineer for the implementation phase of the primary utility system currently being developed by a consortium led by ACWA Power.
The project includes the provision of renewable power, potable water, wastewater treatment, district cooling and solid waste treatment for 16 hotels, an international airport, and infrastructure that will form Phase One of The Red Sea destination in Saudi Arabia.

Key Facts: 

• Solar PV: 340 MWac
• BESS: 1,200 MWh
• Internal Combustion Engine: 108.98 MW
• SWRO: 32,500 m³/day
• Wastewater: 18,300 m³/day
• District Cooling: 32,500 RT
• Solid Waste Management: 11,775 T/year

ILF already acted as a technical advisor during the tendering stage of the PPP project, which resulted in a Utilities Concession Agreement (UCA) worth roughly USD 1.5 billion.
The extension of ILF’s involvement in this landmark development is seen as both an expression of confidence as well as a confirmation of the call for ILF to continue to deliver Engineering Excellence with ILF’s integrated team from its offices in Saudi Arabia, Austria, Germany and Poland.

A large part of Northern Germany’s wind energy potential cannot currently be used due to bottlenecks in the power grid.
The aim is to be able to utilize this unused wind energy potential in the future by converting it into green hydrogen with the help of power-to-gas facilities.
Transporting gaseous hydrogen in pipelines has clear advantages – technically, economically and ecologically – in comparison to other transport options.

In this context, HyPerLink, Gasunie’s envisaged approximately 66-km-long hydrogen network, and a key part the future European hydrogen network, shall provide an efficient link between the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. A particularity of this project is that the HyPerLink will be developed mainly by converting already existing natural gas infrastructure into hydrogen infrastructure with a capacity of up to 7.2 GW. ILF has been commissioned by Gasunie for the “Project design and project management for the modification of existing pipeline infrastructure in HyPerLink Phase I and Phase II”.

This gives ILF the opportunity to participate in one of the European hydrogen industry’s lighthouse projects.
The project for which an application for early commencement of measures has been submitted, is awaiting notification from the IPCEI program.

ILF has committed itself to becoming ‘Net Zero’ by 2040.

Becoming ‘Net Zero’ first and foremost means reducing, reducing and (once again!) reducing emissions. In line with the Science Based Target Initiative, we are following the pathway towards achieving net zero emissions by making ambitious efforts to reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90% by 2040, and by offsetting a maximum of 10% of our remaining, unavoidable emissions.

How will ILF become ‘Net Zero‘ by 2040?

Having set ourselves near-term targets for 2030 and committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2040, it is now time to take concrete steps to reach this ambitious goal. The Sustainability Team at ILF has therefore organized for a number of Net Zero workshops to be held, where colleagues from all levels of the ILF hierarchy will be able to share their ideas and together formulate specific goals and measures to be taken at their ILF location. In view of our current carbon footprint, special attention will be given to ILF’s “top three” emission sources: Business Travel by Aircraft, Business Travel in Company Vehicles and Employee Commuting.

At ILF, we know that achieving net zero emissions by 2040 in line with the Science Based Targets Initiative is an ambitious goal, but we are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to reach this goal!

The Glenmuckloch Energy Park (GB-SCT) project entails the conversion of a disused open-cast coal mine into a renewable energy hub. This Energy Park will involve the development of both a 210 MW Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage (PHES) plant and a 33.6 MW wind farm on the same site.

During its previous operation, the Glenmuckloch mine was contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal-powered energy generation. The envisaged Glenmuckloch Energy Park will serve the purpose of actively reversing these impacts, by contributing to the transition from thermal to renewable energy generation.

The former mining operations at Glenmuckloch created a significant void in the ground, which is to be used as the lower reservoir. Approximately 220 m above the lower reservoir, a new turkey’s nest reservoir will be constructed. The two reservoirs will be connected by an above-ground steel penstock entering a shaft powerhouse located adjacent to the lower reservoir. The PHES will be able to provide approximately 1,600 MWh of renewable energy per cycle.

As part of the decommissioning process for the mine, the entire Glenmuckloch area will need to be rehabilitated. Instead of allowing the mine to become a dormant asset, the conversion of the site into a renewable energy hub will not only provide energy security for the region, but will also help to create jobs for the local communities.

ILF, together with the lead partner Ove Arup & Partners Limited (Arup), has been appointed as the Owner’s Engineer for the development of this project. Arup will oversee the full development of the wind farm project components, while ILF has been engaged as a specialist sub-consultant to oversee the development of the PHES project components. The project is being financed by the Foresight Group (Foresight), a sustainability-led alternative assets and SME investment manager.

The European Union has declared that hydrogen – and its derivatives, such as ammonia and methanol – are key to achieving the Union’s legally binding obligations to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels) and to become climate neutral by 2050.

As Europe is unable to produce sufficient quantities of hydrogen for its own needs, imports from overseas are currently the subject of many detailed investigations.

Late last year, political leaders from Germany and Canada entered into a hydrogen alliance, based on the idea of exporting clean hydrogen to the EU in order to help reduce the need for natural gas imports. Shortly after the alliance was formed, ILF began working on two techno-economic studies on Canada’s readiness to transport hydrogen products by sea from Eastern Canada to Europe.
ILF’s involvement in these studies is an example of one of the contributions that ILF is making towards a sustainable future for our planet.

Within the scope of work for the new twin-track Feeder Line North of the Brenner Base Tunnel, DB Netz AG has commissioned ILF Consulting Engineers, as part of an engineering consortium with two other partners, to carry out the route design and project planning works for the preliminary design of the Grafing–Ostermünchen (GER) section.

Currently under construction, this section forms part of the Feeder Line North of the Brenner Base Tunnel which is an integral part of the Scandinavian–Mediterrranean Corridor (Scan–Med Corridor) from Finland to Malta. This corridor is also the most important North–South Railway Link in Europe. The approx. 15-km-long section comprises the northernmost part of this project. In addition to open-track sections, associated traffic infrastructure, bridges and tunnels are also planned.

The Building Information Modelling (BIM) method is being used during the design which also includes an option for further design phases (conceptual design, permit application design and tender design).

Having already been involved in the previous design phase for this section (namely the route selection procedure), ILF has detailed knowledge of the local site conditions and can therefore support this complex project in the further design phases.

With less than 100 m³ of renewable water resources per capita and per year, Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world.
The existing water resources are already heavily overexploited and are rapidly being depleted as a result of supplying a growing population. The water sector in Jordan is characterized by high water losses and low cost coverage.

To tackle the challenges associated with water supply in Jordan, the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) has commissioned a joint venture, consisting of ILF and Engicon, with the project “Energy Efficiency in the Water Sector II in Jordan”. The focus of this project is on reducing the amount of non-revenue water, such as leakages or illegal connections, as well as reducing the carbon footprint of the water sector in general.

A multi-pronged approach has been chosen to make every drop count. Five selected pumping stations will be rehabilitated, mainly by replacing inefficient equipment such as pumps, fittings and valves. To ensure a more sustainable operation of the water network, an additional booster pumping station will be constructed. Furthermore, the water network itself will undergo several changes in order to make the best use of the mountainous terrain.

Measures which increase energy efficiency in the water sector are both environmentally and economically beneficial for all parties involved.

The rehabilitation of the pumping stations and the restructuring of the water supply network are projected to save more than 9,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually.

Energy demand can be lowered by approximately 50%, and, in addition, up to 20% of physical water losses are expected to be eliminated.

Phase 1 of the construction works has recently started and is expected to be completed in 2025. Phase 2 is currently out to tender.

ILF has won the contract for project management, development and design, including management of all environmental issues, for the Linz Urban Railway, Austria.

The metropolitan area of Linz (in the province of Upper Austria) has a number of hospitals, universities, cultural and administrative facilities and offers more jobs than there are inhabitants (> 200,000). As a result, Linz has been struggling with commuter traffic for a long time.

A high-quality alternative to private transport is therefore needed and a new public transport solution is being developed. The key objectives are to provide high-quality transport for passengers, fast travel times, direct connections to high-level institutions and links to the existing infrastructure: the Linz Urban Railway.

ILF was commissioned by Schiene OÖ GmbH, together with a local partner in Linz, to prepare the documents for the preliminary design of all the technical and environmental aspects and to clarify the necessary legal proceedings for all sections of the Linz Urban Railway. Planning for the approval procedure and the environmental impact assessment for the urban railway’s connection to the university is an optional part of the contract.

NZSki, one of New Zealand’s ski field operators, plans to increase the capacity of its ski area ”The Remarkables” near Queenstown from its current capacity of approx. 3,500 skiers to a future capacity of approx. 7,500 skiers. For the proposed plans to become reality, the neighboring bowl, the Doolans Basin, shall be developed into a ski area. To achieve this, various options will be investigated in a masterplan and a development strategy will subsequently be formulated.

ILF Consulting Engineers has been entrusted with preparing this masterplan which covers slopes, ropeways, snow-making systems, ski tunnels, parking facilities, mountain restaurants, maintenance and service infrastructure as well as connections to the existing ski area. The masterplan will also encompass all the construction measures required to operate the ski resort following the increase in capacity.

ILF Consulting Engineers has set another historical milestone in its 50+ years of engineering excellence. We are extremely proud to have been appointed as the consultant of choice for the pre-development studies for three multi-gigawatt solar PV parks. These parks, with an installed capacity of up to 30 GWp, will by far be the world’s largest renewable energy parks in terms of installed capacity.

ILF will provide world-class engineering services, accompanying the parks’ development up to the point where the parks can be tendered on an independent power producer (IPP) basis.

The pre-development studies shall include performance of the following tasks:

• a preliminary site assessment
• preparation of a master plan
• environmental baseline surveys
• an environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA)
• the permit application procedure
• various studies, including geotechnical, hydrological, glint/glare and corrosion studies
• an energy yield assessment
• technology selection
• CAPEX/OPEX estimation
• advanced design of the parks

The parks are among the most ambitious and prestigious developments taking place in the world in terms of sustainability, innovation and cutting edge technology, and are a key puzzle piece in Saudi Arabia’s strategy to become a world champion in renewable energy by 2030. This fits perfectly with the ILF Group’s commitment to climate protection and its vision of improving the quality of life around the globe.

Digitalization poses new challenges to be faced in road tunnels – challenges which require interdisciplinary action.

Coordinated by the Federal Highway Research Institute (“Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen” GER) and ILF, the bilateral research project Artificial Intelligence for Improvement of Safety of Tunnels and Tunnel Control Centers (“KITT”) is developing innovative solutions. By using data from Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI), hazardous situations in tunnels, or anomalies in IT security, can be recognized more quickly and reliably.

ILF is proud to be able to apply its extensive experience of performing risk analyses in road tunnels and its own (self-developed) tunnel risk model TuRisMo to improve existing methods by using C-ITS technology.
The research project is being funded by the Security Research Funding Program (“KIRAS”) set up by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism (“BMLRT”) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (“BMBF”) as part of the call for Artificial Intelligence in Civil Security Research (“Künstliche Intelligenz in der zivilen Sicherheitsforschung”).

As part of a joint venture (JV), ILF has been awarded the contract for the preparation of tender documents for the Eastern Section of the 2nd S-Bahn Main Line in Munich.

This section of the line comprises approx. 3.4 km of tunnels, one underground halt and several civil engineering structures. ILF has also been involved in the design of the Western Section of the line since 2017. As part of different JVs, ILF was commissioned with the final design and the permit application design services for the overall project, the preparation of tender documents and construction design services for two underground halts.

The overall project, with a line length of approx. 10 km, contains a tunnel section with a length of approx. 7 km and three underground halts (with lengths between 230 m and 250 m, and a depth of approx. 45 m). The tunnels – two tunnels and one emergency tunnel – will be driven mainly by TBMs. The underground halts are being constructed using the cut-and-cover method, and for the platform tunnels, the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) is being used.

The Deutsche Bahn has taken the decision to extend the underground section of the line under the city center (by adding a new line beneath the existing one) because the S-Bahn Main Line in Munich was no longer able to handle today’s passenger numbers.

ILF is pleased to be able to present the design for the tunnel portals with the widest span in the company’s more than 55-year history.
As the leading partner of a planning consortium, ILF, on behalf of ASFINAG, has been working on the detailed design for the tunnel structures within phase 1 of the A26 motorway construction project near Linz.

The motorway tunnel constructed in phase 1 of the project has four lanes in some sections and a total length of 2.4 km, including access and exit ramps. The two main portals of the tunnel deserve special attention: The portals of the two main carriageways, which shall directly adjoin the fourth Danube bridge on both sides, span a width of about 25 m and have a shotcrete thickness of only 60 cm. The operating rooms are located directly below these main portals.

Overcoming the challenge of designing and finally realizing tunnel portals of these dimensions has only been possible thanks to ILF’s partnership with ASFINAG and the joint venture ARGE A26 that is responsible for executing the project.

Thank you for the excellent cooperation!

ILF has been commissioned as part of an engineering consortium (INGE Axe Bauleitung) for the construction supervision for the new Axenstrasse road project. The project is expected to run until the end of 2033.

The Axenstrasse road was built between 1861 and 1865 and is located in Central Switzerland. The road has been damaged several times by rockfalls and mudslides, which is why a new Axenstrasse road is now being built.

ILF has commenced its construction supervision work at the Gumpisch temporary bridge. The temporary bridge will be constructed in an area sensitive to rockfalls and will allow traffic to be diverted from the Axenstrasse road thus facilitating further construction works. Construction of both the major tunnel construction lots is due to start in 2025. The construction site from Ingenbohl to Gumpisch stretches over a length of approx. 8 km. In the tunnel-driving phase, up to six tunnel drives (main and counter drives) are to be supervised in parallel. Also in the construction phase for the entire project, several construction sites for lining works are to be supervised in parallel.

In order to deal with the natural hazards posing a threat to the availability of the Axenstrasse road, an early warning system has been introduced and contributes to greater safety during construction works. Work on the Gumpisch temporary bridge is taking place whilst there is ongoing traffic on the Axenstrasse road. Thanks to the good cooperation with the road operator AfBN, the client and the security firm that are helping to control the adjacent traffic, the work and traffic have to date been accident-free.

The Baltic Pipe has recently started transporting gas to markets in Denmark, Sweden and Poland, as well as to neighboring markets. ILF is proud to have contributed to the timely start of operation for this unusually complex construction project.

The interconnector between Poland and Denmark can transport gas in both directions, which not only opens up a new supply route for the transport of natural gas from the Norwegian sea, but also leads to a diversification of gas supply sources for many countries in the Baltic Sea region and in Central and Eastern Europe. Around 2.4 bn m³ of gas are expected to be transported by the Baltic Pipe per year over the next ten years.

ILF has supported the clients, Energienet and Ramboll, with numerous engineering services for the Jutland–Funen section. These included, among others, project management, Owner’s Engineering services, detailed design/construction design, tendering and construction supervision.

Learn more here:   The project – Baltic Pipe Project (baltic-pipe.eu)

ILF and PGNiG Termika S.A. have signed a contract for the preparation of a feasibility study for the creation of an electrical connection between the Siekierki CHP plant and the Piaseczno–Mory transmission line in Poland.

The study shall investigate the feasibility of constructing a new 220 kV double-circuit line running from a new 220 kV switchyard to a cut in the 220 kV Piaseczno–Mory line, as well as a line to connect a new gas/steam unit to this switchyard. As part of the study, three different switchyard location options and several variants shall be presented. ILF will also give a recommendation on the optimal solution, taking all relevant planning, technological, social and environmental aspects into consideration.

“We always consider the impact on local residents and the environment in our work. We are focused on minimizing the impact on housing developments and valuable natural areas. In terms of planning for the timing and the amount of investment required in this project, we aim to make good use of existing infrastructure corridors from other transmission line facilities, and will consider different technological options – namely overhead lines and cable lines, as well as an option combining these two technologies.”
Rafal Blankiewicz, Managing Director of ILF Poland.