Our tasks
Provider
Location
- Planning, dimensioning and installation of the network infrastructure for the new snow-making system.
- Creation of the plan approval documents and support during the approval process.
- Five new transformer stations built and four existing stations refurbished.
- Over eight kilometres of medium voltage line laid.
Facts & Figures
- Completion
2020
- Construction type
Network infrastructure installations
- Contruction style
Installation
- Branch
Mountain railways
- Carried work
Planning, installation and refurbishment of transformer stations and laying of medium voltage lines
- Project manager
Fritz Inniger, Project Manager, Distribution Systems, and Gilles Russi, Head of Oberland Projects
- Builder
Lenk Bergbahnen
Snow for 30,000 guests
The Betelberg is Lenk’s family mountain. Lenk Bergbahnen transports more than 300,000 guests to the Betelberg by cable car each year. Snow-making technology ensures skiing enthusiasts always find good snow conditions on the mountain.
Five existing transformer stations built, four existing transformers refurbished, eight kilometres of cables laid
Snow-makers require electricity and a corresponding network infrastructure. A continuous capacity of four to five megawatts enables more than 100 snow cannons to make snow for 50 hectares of slopes within 200 hours. “To do that we built five new transformer stations, refurbished four existing stations and laid more than eight kilometres of medium voltage cable,” explains Gilles Russi, Head of Oberland Projects. Where possible, outdoor transmission lines were removed and new lines laid underground, as fewer masts means safer slopes for skiers and the preservation of the landscape.
Experience that pays off
BKW Power Grid planned and carried out the work. “We started the initial discussions six years ago. We modified the network to ensure the necessary additional electricity capacity,” says Gilles Russi. So it was an advantage that we had many years of experience with this kind of project. Everything went off without a hitch,” he says.
«The beginning of ski season cannot be postponed, so the seamless, on-time completion of the network infrastructure was essential. Our expertise was a major advantage here.»
Environmentally-friendly snowmaking with hydropower
BKW Power Grid took the lead in planning and installing the network infrastructure on the Betelberg. The infrastructure helps Lenk Bergbahnen keep the snow-making system as environmentally friendly as possible. In addition, the power for making artificial snow comes entirely from environmentally-friendly hydropower.