Installation work on a deep-water dredger is under way at the arch dam

Installation work on a deep-water dredger is under way in the reservoir of the Enguri hydropower plant.

Installation work on a deep-water dredger is under way in the reservoir of the Enguri hydropower plant.

“This is an extremely complex process that we have been working on for 10 to 15 years. Its complexity makes it unique, and there is nothing like it anywhere in the world. From the day the Dutch company that won the tender arrived, our staff have been involved in assembling this enormous machine. Once installation is complete, it is our own mechanics who will operate the deep-water dredger,” — Joni Chania, head of the Arch Dam department of Enguri HPP LLC.

“We are installing a deep-water dredger that can reach a depth of 200 metres. Nowhere in the world has anyone yet extracted silt from that depth. We expect that giving the machine its final form will take four to six weeks. As soon as the testing of the deep-water dredger is complete, we will begin removing silt from the dam, which will take a year,” — Vincent van Oosterhout, representative of the Dutch company DCN Diving.

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