Skarta will be making everyday life effortless and clean also in Pirkanmaa – Skarta was awarded the contract for the building of pumping stations for Tampere Region Central Wastewater Treatment Plant

A new wastewater treatment plant that uses the latest treatment technologies is being constructed in Tampere as a joint project between several municipalities. The participating municipalities in Tampere Region Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Ltd are Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Pirkkala, Vesilahti and Ylöjärvi. The project is the largest single environmental investment in the Pirkanmaa region, with a total budget of about EUR 350 million.

“This is a large long-term project. Since the start of the 21st century, we have done preplanning and conducted location surveys. The leading role was transferred from Tampere Water to us, Tampere Region Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Ltd, in 2015 and the implementation planning stage concluded in the summer of 2017,” explains Marko Männynsalo from Tampere Region Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Ltd.

The project consists of about 30 separate sub-projects. The construction of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant inside the rock in Sulkavuori started in 2018. The heart of the project, the pumping stations, was put out to tender last November. Five large specialised construction companies were invited to tender after the preselection for the pumping stations’ construction project. Skarta was one such company. The award decision was made in April and the contract with Skarta was signed on 13 May. The value of Skarta’s contract is approximately EUR 11 million.

“This is a large and significant project on a Finnish scale and we are delighted to contribute to the municipal infrastructure and the everyday lives of the people in the second largest growth region in Finland, the Tampere region. Our efforts in developing the Tampere region can be seen in our past project as well, when we built the much awaited outdoor swimming pool for the city of Tampere.The contract with Tampere Region Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Ltd for construction of the pumping stations supports and brings continuity to our service portfolio with regard to water treatment and pumping stations,” states the CEO of Skarta Finland Ltd, Mikko Ahonen.

One of the largest pumping stations in Finland is a demanding construction project

Skarta’s contract includes the construction of both wastewater pumping stations. The pumping station in Rahola is 600 square metres while the largest of the two, with a floor area of 1,000 square metres, is near the centre of Tampere in Viinikanlahti. When the construction of the pumping station in Viinikanlahti is completed, it will be one of the largest wastewater pumping stations in Finland.

“The Viinikanlahti wastewater pumping station is a demanding construction project. Its proximity to Lake Pyhäjärvi makes it a very challenging project from a geotechnical point of view. The lowest parts of the large pumping station are well below the surface level of the lake, and they are being built under a constant water pressure. Skarta will begin the construction by first excavating an over 10-metre deep cylindrical shaft with a 20-metre diametre that is supported by drilled piles. From there, Skarta will begin constructing the actual pumping station upwards.

The existing wastewater treatment plants provide an additional challenge for both the Viinikanlahti and Rahola pumping station construction projects. Due to their proximity, the work on the construction sites has to be co-ordinated with the existing treatment plants so they can keep functioning as usual. Skarta’s experience with comparable projects will certainly be helpful during these projects,” states Männynsalo.

Both the Rahola and Viinikanlahti construction projects include the construction of the actual pumping stations as well as the incorporated maintenance, monitoring and social spaces. Skarta is the general contractor and the subcontracts for the pumping stations, including machinery, HVAC and electricity, will be put out to tender by Tampere Region Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Ltd separately later on.

“According to the contract, the construction will begin in September at the latest, but we are organising our resources so that we can begin working as early as at the turn of May and June. We already have management and staff resources in Tampere which allows us to begin working on the project efficiently with our local forces. The first stage of the construction involves the building of the support elements for the earthworks and the shafts and then with the in-situ concrete structure work for the pumping station buildings and the building of prefabricated structures,” explains Skarta Finland Ltd’s Site Manager, Jari Häkkinen.

Marko Männynsalo reveals why Skarta was chosen as the contractor for Tampere Region Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Ltd’s major project:

“Before commencing the tendering process for our final five companies, we engaged in a market dialogue with each of them to assess their capabilities in carrying out this demanding project. During the dialogue, Skarta gave us good suggestions on how to execute the concrete structures in Viinikanlahti and all in all, they had experience in water utilities contracts and demanding earthworks around operational wastewater treatment plants, which was significant for our project. I hope for good co-operation with Skarta throughout the years-long project. It is a demanding project that we co-operate on to complete it on time. I believe we can achieve that.”