A.

HAK MAGAZINE

annual review
2014 PUBLICATION FOR CLIENTS, PARTNERS AND STAFF
EDITION 12 | JULY 2015 | VOLUME 4

‘In the black

after a worri-
some year’
MARCO VAN GEENHUIZEN CEO

Formation of divisions
Four divisions form one all-round company

International projects
More companies experience international growth

Energy for the future

Blue Energy station commissioned by King Willem-Alexander
LONGEST HEAT EXCHANGERS EVER
Mechanical Contracting Limburg (the A.Hak company MCL), started construction work on two
heat exchangers in 2014. Although the company had done this before, the enormous size of
these heat exchangers certainly was new. Both have a combined length of approximately 28
meters. Now how long is that exactly? The photo says it all. These are rod-baffle heat exchan-
gers constructed for Sabic Europe. It’s a type of heat exchanger used if large quantities of
gas with a low operational pressure, need to be heated or cooled. MCL received the order in
April 2014. Less than a year later, both colossal end products were ready to be shipped.

colophon
PHOTOGRAPHY
Carel Kramer
Jorrit Lousberg
Maarten van der Voorde
and others
TEXTS
Adriaan van Hooijdonk
Senid Salihovic
Richard van Santen
EDITING
Richard van Santen
CONCEPT/DESIGN
Medamo, Rotterdam
TRANSLATION
Founding Translate
PRODUCTION
NPN Drukkers
CONTACT
communicatie@a-hak.nl
The Annual Review 2014
is a special edition of the
magazine for employees and
business contacts of A.Hak.
ISSUE 12 | JULY 2015
VOLUME 4
IN THE BLACK AFTER A WORRISOME YEAR
Back to
basic principles
While preparing for this preamble, I reflected on
our 2015 New Year’s reception. Although at that
time reports and forecasts were only partially
available, I already mentioned in my speech that
the results for 2014 would be disappointing. In
particular in comparison to the previous year.
When 2013 ended, our implemented strategy of
further international growth seemed to have come
of age, allowing us to reap the fruits of our labor.
We therefore did start 2014 full of expectations.
Alas, that excitement quickly turned into worries.
The Olympic Games in Sochi were just concluded
when Russia annexed Crimea. The situation in
Ukraine, a country conflicted by strong pro-­
European and pro-Russian sentiments, quickly
escalated into violence. While political relations
between Russia and Europe deteriorated rapidly,
a dark day came for the Netherlands when
­Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down.
No less than 298 people lost their lives, including
193 Dutch citizens.
In addition to immense human suffering, this
conflict also had far-reaching economic con-
sequences that were gravely felt by A.Hak too.
Years of formal and informal meetings, first about
the Nabucco pipeline from the Caspian Sea to
Western Europe and later about Southstream, the
competing Russian alternative, were ceased im-
mediately. The 2014 economic turmoil didn’t only
come from the east. A quick production growth
of shale gas and oil in the United States slashed
the world gas price in half. OPEC suddenly had to
deal with the world’s largest economy exporting
oil rather than importing it; causing a shift in the
global balance of energy. The oil price crashed
from 110 to 40 dollars per barrel, while the euro
also lost considerable value compared to other
major currencies. As many other organizations
in our industry, A.Hak had to face the fact that
signed orders were abruptly cancelled or put
on hold for an indefinite amount of time. Other
Marco van Geenhuizen
CEO
renewable energy
International pipeline projects   07
Successful new work methods   10
Domestic pipelines   12
Rerouting infrastructure   22
Water pipeline repaired   23 oil, gas & chemical
contracts had to be renegotiated and could often
Focus on offshore coating   29
only be concluded against much lower prices.
2014, a year we started full of anticipation, thus Scoops in trenchless construction   32
concluded worrisome and troubled. Although Sustainable production of masts   35
the results were disappointing, they ended in the Extending pipeline life spans   36
black. B
­ earing the many uncertainties in mind,
we decided to add the entire result to a future Dewatering solutions   38
provision for the coming years.
Experience meets innovation   41
Over the past years we never ceased to invest in
equipment and hiring excellent staff members.
Our service portfolio was further expanded, thus
spreading our activities over various industries
and reducing our vulnerability to shocks in one water
specific industry. This allows us to absorb set-
backs such as those we faced last year, as long
as we keep a very close eye on the costs in our RENEWABLE ENERGY    40
organization and maintain a continuous focus on
our returns. It’s back to basic now: What does it
cost, and what do we earn?
Our customers will make exactly that trade-off in
PRODUCTS & SERVICES    26
this era. That’s why I’m pleased that we were able
to complete the formation of the various A.Hak
divisions, a process we started in 2013. These
divisions further contribute to streamlining the
cooperation between our individual companies
and enable efficient deployment of our people, electricity & lighting
DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS    18
means and expertise. This perhaps is our greatest
asset, for ourselves and for our customers who
continue to strive towards an optimal return on
investment.
PIPELINES & FACILITIES    06
This Annual Review provides for keen insights in
the core business of our divisions and highlights
some of their great accomplishments of the past
year. While reading the individual articles, I hope
you will see the bigger picture as well. Coopera- communications
tion is our keyword, not only within the divisions
themselves, but also between them. The exceptio- Safe pipelines in Limburg 16
nal broad yet tailored product and service portfolio Drainpipe removal 16
they are able to deliver upon joining forces, is the Sustainable enterprisen 17
reason I am confident about our future. Gazing at the stars 24
Water under the river 24
Vital staff members 25
Safety first 39
Water for Life 44
 Further
PIPELINES & FACILITIES

expanding
international
operations
In 2014, A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities worked very hard to further
consolidate its international position. Various projects were completed,
and customers impressed, in France and Germany, but also in Iraq and
Saudi Arabia.
TEXT  Adriaan van Hooijdonk

A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities

O
ver the past years, A.Hak’s primary focus tial due to the soil composition. Our proposal to
in the field of large pipeline construction apply the microtunneling method for this crossing
revolves around the construction started to shift from the domestic market also proved to be solid. These were two critical el-

of large transport pipelines, both to international projects. As a reputable partner in

aboveground and underground,
including all corresponding
various countries, the objective was and continues
to be the further expansion and solidification of
international operations. This process must of
course be coordinated efficiently, and to achieve
ements that enabled us to install this new pipeline
under the Seine both safely and proficiently. At
the end of 2014, the weather also worked with us
and we were able to demobilize rapidly and clean
our work terrain. Now the terrain shows little proof

facilities such as compressor and
pump stations. Work is carried out
both in the field and in industrial
this, the various A.Hak companies revolving
around constructing transport pipelines, industrial
of us ever having worked there.’
The joint venture received an abundance of
pipeline projects and all corresponding facilities,
were integrated into the Pipelines & Facilities divi-
positive reactions from local politicians and busi-
ness associations, because A.Hak’s staff for this
sion. This strategy has already proved successful, project partially consisted of local workforce. ‘We

environments. The pipelines are
used to transport oil, gas, water
and other fluids. Our Pipelines
both in Europe and on other continents. trained and educated 150 people, thus contrib-
uting to the local economy. Whenever possible,
FRENCH SUCCESS
Kees Ezinga, one of the Project Leaders of
work was also subcontracted to local partners to
add economic value to the region’, says Ezinga.
this division, reports about the Arc de Dierrey

& Facilities division provides its
products and services to a diverse
customer portfolio in Northwestern
project carried out in France. Early in 2011, A.Hak
entered into a joint venture with the French
QUALIFIED AND CERTIFIED
Peter Kerkhoff, the Director of A.Hak France,
company Spiecapag to service the French market
optimally. ‘By now, over 200 of the total of 300
emphasizes that, in the French market, A.Hak
does not only focus on large projects such as
kilometers of a 48" pipeline between Paris and Arc de Dierrey. ‘Upon the successful completion

Europe, Southeastern Europe,
the Middle East, Africa and Latin
America.
Lyon has been put in place. This construction is
required to support a newly built LNG terminal
in Dunkirk that will be commissioned in 2015’,
Ezinga clarifies.
The Project Leader emphasizes that the knowl-
edge and experience of A.Hak’s dewatering
company Tjaden proved indispensable at the most
challenging segment of the pipeline’s trajectory:
crossing the River Seine. ‘Dewatering was essen-
of an audit by GRTgaz, we are also qualified for
smaller, specialized gas pipeline projects’, he
explains. ‘This audit was a result of our work on
the Bouchain project, where we constructed over
900 meters of 20" pipeline from a gas distribu-
tion station to an EDF-owned power plant. The
project was concluded in February 2014, with
customer GRTgaz providing feedback that they
are completely satisfied.’

06 PIPELINES & FACILITIES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine PIPELINES & FACILITIES 07
 ‘GRTgaz is highly satisfied A.Hak France also successfully completed various
qualification and certification projects, including
about the cooperation with ISO 90012 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment)
the joint venture between and OHSAS 18001 (safety). Furthermore, the
staff members received compliments from the
A.Hak and Spiecapag. The GRTgaz board for their work on the Parnac
project. ‘We managed to replace two culverts of
joint venture strives towards 600 meters each. Even though the swampy area
an integrated approach and nearly flooded two times, we were able to use
road plates to make the area accessible for heavy
brushes. To me, this case is a textbook example of
what A.Hak can do, based on a great interaction
between our individual companies and divisions.’
WORKING SAFELY IN GERMANY
A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities also enjoyed a
successful 2014 in Germany, completing various
projects that will form great business cases and
referrals for future assignments. In October, cus-
tomer Gasunie was able to commission their new
‘The cooperation with the subcontractors went
very well, while the infiltration of groundwater
that we proposed also worked perfectly. Gasunie
Deutschland weighed in to compliment us on
our work to declare safety a top priority during
project execution. In addition to the regular
toolbox meetings, we held four safety meetings
where subcontractors were also invited to report
or discuss possible hazardous situations. Various
representatives of the A.Hak management also
Thiessen, Project Manager on behalf of A.Hak
Pipelines & Facilities, explains that the fact that
the capital lies in a very dry area caused for
considerable complications during the project.
‘We couldn’t always assume that we would have
enough water available to test the pipelines. By
intensively working together with our customer we
still managed to test the most considerable part
of the pipelines.’

proved its capability to do so. equipment and complete the project on-time.’
Another assignment was awarded to A.Hak
This is one of many causes for France by the Canadian company Vermilion. ‘We
a successful project execution. already carried out projects for this customer
in the Netherlands. Based on the good relation
GRTgaz also highly values the maintained there, we were hired for a project
in Cap Ferret. Local contractors had already
fact that local subcontracting tried and failed to remove an oil pipeline from a
boosts the local economy.’ concrete construction. To get this job done, our
colleagues at A.Hak Drillcon modified a machine
especially for this project, which led to a success-
DANIEL BILLETTE PROJECT LEADER GRTGAZ ful pipeline removal. Moreover, we also deployed
the knowledge and expertise of A.Hak Industrial
Services to clean the pipeline with synthetic
compressor station in the town of Achim in Lower
Saxony. The successful and timely project com-
pletion was the result of a smooth cooperation
between A.Hak Leidingbouw and the German firm
Max Streicher in the MAXHAK joint venture. Con-
struction Manager on behalf of A.Hak Pipelines
& Facilities, Gert Bonder, reflects on a successful
project that stood out from others based on its
multi-facetted nature. In addition to the construc-
tion of both underground and aboveground pipe-
lines, tasks included the installation or completion
of electric connections and the instrumentation
work (I&E), heating, ventilation and air-condition-
ing (HVAC), civil engineering and dewatering.
attended these meetings. This approach led to a
high safety awareness that formed the basis for
working safely and not having one single Lost
Time Injury.’
WATER IN THE DESERT
Testing 380 kilometers of pipelines in Saudi
Arabia has been well underway since late 2013.
Here, the Pipelines & Facilities division deployed
its expertise for the construction of a gigantic
project aimed at supplying plenty of fresh water
to the capital Riyadh. Al total of 900 kilometers
of pipeline runs right through the desert from the
desalination plants located at the coast. Henk
Working in the ‘wadis’ proved exceptionally chal-
lenging. ‘Wadis are river valleys that remain dry
for the largest part of the year’, Thiessen explains.
‘However, during wet periods and heavy rainfall,
enormous amounts of water flow through them.
This often happens unexpectedly. In this project
we crossed nine large wadis with widths varying
between 110 and 918 meters and an inclination
angle between 10 and 42 degrees. Welding on
these steep inclines is especially cumbersome,
while carrying out the required internal and
external inspections and adding the cement lining,
an internal coating often used for water pipelines,
proved especially challenging.’

THREE CUSTOMERS IN IRAQ

In 2014, A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities carried out several projects in Iraq for
customers Shell, Leighton Offshore and Wheaterford. Project Manager Michiel de
Waard summarizes the most important developments. ‘Shell owns a number of
oil depots in Iraq, used to store oil extracted from local oil fields. We completed
and delivered the electric connections and instrumentation work at various
locations. Shell also requested us to support during the commissioning of these
E&I tasks. A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities was also responsible for adding cathodic
protection to a steel underground pipeline of approximately 80 kilometers. These
pipelines are now well protected against corrosion. We also technically finished
and delivered various communication cables.’

The Australian contractor Leighton Offshore also contracted the Pipelines &
Facilities division to construct approximately six kilometers of 48" pipelines in
Al Fao. ‘Here, we removed and replaced a pipeline that was severely damaged by
a storm. Unfortunately our customer could not yet come to agreement about the
remaining trajectory with its customer. This means that we will probably have to
complete the final two kilometers in 2015’, De Waard clarifies.

For the American contractor Wheaterford, A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities worked on
the construction of some kilometers of pipeline work, with 6" to 18" diameters,
for three locations where new buildings were constructed. ‘In addition to the
pipeline work, we also took care of the installation of communication cables
and the design and construction of all cathodic protection. This work has been
completed in early 2015’, De Waard concludes.

08 PIPELINES & FACILITIES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine PIPELINES & FACILITIES 09
 In the domestic Dutch market, A.Hak Pipelines &
Facilities worked hard on the Beverwijk-Wijngaarden
project (see pages 12 to 15). However, another unique
project was als completed in 2014: the Norgron pipeline
for customer NAM. An innovative work method, dubbed
‘construction driven engineering’, was used. Together
with the ‘Lean’ principle this method proved to be a
successful example of A.Hak’s continuous endeavor
towards further process improvement.

T
he name ‘Norgron’ stems from the trajectory of the pipeline. ‘It connects
the Norg gas storage facility and the Groningen gas fields’, says company
manager Gert Holthuis. ‘With the construction driven engineering method,
we were able to let our decades’ worth of experience in pipeline construction
speak from step one of the project: the engineering phase.’

COMPLEX TECHNICAL PUZZLE

‘Together with all parties involved, we thought about the ultimate way to
construct this new pipeline. And, from the very first day, we were involved in the
contacts with relevant organizations such as provincial and water authorities. In
a more traditional approach, the contractor usually joins the process once the
engineering and permit processes are already completed. During Norgron, we
were able to solve this technical puzzle together.’
‘By using construction driven engineering, we prevented several problems from
occurring during the execution phase. I’m highly confident in advising other
customers to try this method in future projects and invite us to the table this
early. It’s proven to be an ultimate method to complete projects safely, on-time
and within the budget’, Holthuis says. Proof to substantiate his claim is found in
the exceptionally high Achilles FPAL score. The report in which the performance
is evaluated consistently showed scores of 8 and 9 out of 10..

LEAN: SMARTER AND BETTER

CONTINUOUS ENDEAVOR TOWARDS FURTHER IMPROVEMENT
The ‘Lean’ work method is also aimed at continuously improving work methods.
This management philosophy, originating from Japan, is aimed at aligning
all people and systems in an organization to achieve maximum results. The
objective is to add maximum value to customers, while wasting a minimum
amount of resources. The phrase ‘waste’ in this context is defined quite broadly,

Safe, on-time
as it includes aspects such as unutilized talent and stock surpluses, but also
unnecessary movements of both staff and resources. One of the Lean principles
therefore is: ‘Make sure you get your work done right at the first attempt!’
Supported by an external consultant, staff members from all layers of our

and within
organization mapped their own work methods, focusing on execution,
equipment and the operational department. One of the elements where we
identified opportunities for improvement is the broader usage of task-oriented
management. ‘Even more attention for preparations and scheduling’, summarizes
consultant Miceala Rydell. ‘Before execution starts it has to be crystal clear

the budget
which staff deployment and means are required to complete the project on-time
and within the budget.’

TEXT  Richard van Santen
PHOTOGRAPHY  Maarten van der Voorde
TASK-ORIENTED MANAGEMENT
This improvement will especially prove useful for A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities
during smaller projects with a shorter turnaround. ‘In these projects, there’s less
opportunity to adjust the schedule on the go. The purpose is therefore to hand
project teams a balanced and attainable set of tasks that can be managed so
well in advance, that the execution phase will run like clockwork with an absolute
minimum of surprises.’

10 PIPELINES & FACILITIES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine PIPELINES & FACILITIES 11
 A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities completed
various prestigious pipeline projects in its
domestic Dutch market. The largest and
most appealing project was the construction
of 60 kilometers of gas transport pipeline
for Gasunie which amounted to two-thirds
of the Beverwijk-Wijngaarden pipeline
project. Other satisfied customers in 2014
were Tulip Oil and DELTA Netwerk group,
while work was also done on the district
heating networks in the Arnhem-Nijmegen
metropolitan area for Nuon and Alliander.

DOMESTIC PIPELINE PROJECTS

Gas, water
and heat
TEXT  Adriaan van Hooijdonk
PHOTOGRAPHY  Maarten van der Voorde, Nuon/Jorrit Lousberg

T
he most appealing project worked on by
A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities last year, is
the construction of the 48" gas transport
pipeline between Beverwijk and Wijngaarden for
customer Gasunie. As the main contractor, A.Hak
Leidingbouw, part of the Pipelines & Facilities
division, was awarded two of the three lots of
this project; amounting to 60 of the total pipeline
length of 90 kilometers. The project schedule
remained intact, enabling Gasunie to commission
the gas transport pipeline in October 2014. Re-
flecting on this project, Marcel Stam, ­Gasunie’s
superintendent, speaks about a successful
pro­ject that contained numerable technical
­challenges. ‘In the overcrowded Randstad area
we had little space to complete a vast amount of
drillings under roads, canals and even the Polder-
baan runway of Schiphol International Airport. In
other segments of the trajectory, the high ground
water pressure was another complex aspect.
That’s why we cooperated closely with various
water authorities to prevent this salt ground wa-
ter from ending up on the fertile land above it.’
CONSTRUCTIVE COOPERATION
Gasunie’s project Leader, Frans van den Berg,
underlines that this sizeable project affected the
lives of many residents, companies, governments
and other stakeholders. ‘Environment manage-
ment was therefore highly important to align all
agendas. Together with A.Hak Pipelines & Facil-
ities we managed to achieve this very well. Our
cooperation was excellent. Every question, issue
or problem that arose during the project, was
solved smoothly and based on our joint objective.’
The same positive feedback came from Gerrie
Robbe, Company Director of A.Hak Leiding-
bouw. He proudly reflects on the great cooper-
ation with Gasunie, other stakeholders and an
abundance of subcontractors; which included
several members of the A.Hak family.
‘The knowledge and experience of our staff
proved to be essential to combat the challeng-
ing project circumstances. It ensured that we
could complete this pipeline both timely and
compliant with Gasunie’s quality require-
ments. This project was not only special
to Gasunie, but is a milestone for A.Hak
as well. For the time being, this also rings
in the end of an era in which a unique gas
infrastructure was constructed in the Neth-
erlands. We are proud of the various ways
in which we were able to contribute to that
process over the past years.’

12 PIPELINES & FACILITIES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine PIPELINES & FACILITIES 13

TULIP OIL
A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities also completed com-
pleted much work for various other customers, for
instance for Tulip Oil. This corporation settled in
the Netherlands in 2012 and primarily focuses on
the development of smaller oil and gas fields. Tulip
Oil has stakes in ten Dutch oil and gas licenses,
including two gas fields in the province of Frisia.
14 PIPELINES & FACILITIES a.hak magazine
WATER FOR ZEELANDIC FLANDERS
Although A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities does a lot
of work for the Oil & Gas industry, other industries
are perhaps equally important. Supporting drinking
water corporations, for instance. For customer
DELTA Netwerkgroup, the division completed the
construction of a double drinking water pipeline
‘We operate in
more markets
than the oil
and gas indus-
try alone’
in Zeelandic Flanders. ‘This was a tough job from
a logistics point of view’, says Project Leader,
Michiel Houdijk. ‘As this pipeline is located in an
area where the tides flow freely, the access road
was flooded during flood tide. Of course we had
INCREASING NUMBER OF DISTRICT HEATING PROJECTS to take this into account during equipment and
In addition to transport pipelines for gas and water, A.Hak increasingly focuses on district heating material movements.’
projects. The first experience with this technology was obtained decades ago. Recently, in 2011, A.Hak During unforeseen deviations to the original
built a true showcase: installing a pipeline under the bottom of the IJ Lake between Dutch cities design, A.Hak was able to offer valuable advice to
Diemen and Almere. This project was an important business case for customers Nuon and Alliander the customer during the project’s execution. ‘And
to award a new project to A.Hak for the execution of the sizeable and technically complicated district we also made sure that the drinking water supply
heating projects in the Arnhem-Nijmegen Metropolitan area, home to almost 750,000 people. for the residents of Zeelandic Flanders was never
interrupted’, Houdijk concludes.
DISTRICT HEATING
Various A.Hak companies cooperated during
the execution of district heating projects in the
Nijmegen-Arnhem region, from the initial to the
final step. This helped in limiting risks and failure
costs to a minimum. A.Hak Drillcon completed
A.Hak’s Project Leader, Wim Uiterwijk, was re- enables Gasunie to transport the gas extracted various horizontal directional drillings, including
sponsible for an important contribution to the first by Tulip Oil Netherlands with its own pipeline one that truly appeals to one’s imagination: a HDD
actual gas extraction by Tulip Oil in the Hemrik infrastructure. ‘Tulip Oil is proud of the results and of over 1,000 meters under the Waal River. To get
field in Frisia. ‘We installed nine kilometers of steel recently notified the contractors about that as this job done, the drilling experts deployed their
pipeline, connecting the gas field with the NAM well, emphasizing that the project was completed largest drilling rig; with its tractive force of 500
connection point. Additionally, we created a con- without any incidents. A.Hak did not only work tonnes the largest in Europe. It proved not to be
nective element for customer Gasunie between safely, but also operated within the budget and excessive, as large amounts of gravel were met
the risers of both Tulip Oil and Gasunie. This completed the project on-time. along the drilling path. A.Hak also constructed the
transport pipeline in Nijmegen and the intercon-
necting pipeline on the Arnhem-Duiven trajectory,
while A.Hak Pipeline Services tested and filled the
pipelines.
ECO-FRIENDLY
Now, thousands of households in this area make
use of the residual heat produced by the ARN
waste incineration plant located in the town of
Beuningen. And it’s an eco-friendly solution as
well, as every household connected to this system
decreases its carbon emissions with no less
than 70 percent in comparison to households
with condensing boilers. 3,700 households were
connected to this new infrastructure in 2014, while
9,000 homes that will be built in the years to come
will follow.
In March 2015, Minister Kamp of the Dutch Minis-
try of Economic Affairs, christened Alliander’s new
district heating network amongst nothing but posi-
tive feedback. One of the speakers, Roelof Potters
on behalf of Alliander DGO, stated that working
with these open networks is the fastest way to
change urban environments into more sustainable
areas, while innovation and economic develop-
ment are stimulated as well. ‘Here in Nijmegen,
we prove that sustainable and profitable business
models can go hand in hand’, said Potters.
NEW PROJECT FOR 2015
The cooperation between A.Hak and NUON will
be continued in the ‘Noorderwarmte’ project.
This will be the largest district heating project
in the Amsterdam Metropolitan area for 2015
and 2016. The CEO of Nuon, Peter Smink,
and Gerrie Robbe, the Company Director of
A.Hak Leidingbouw (part of A.Hak Pipelines &
Facilities), signed the contract for this project
in March 2015. According to NUON’s CEO,
signing this contract is an important step on the
path towards creating the new district heating
pipeline to the northern districts of Amsterdam.
‘In the near future, 20,000 households will
benefit from the heat it will generate. Together
with A.Hak Leidingbouw and other industry
partners, we will work on this project safely
and efficiently’, said Smink. Based on the solid
experience gained in the projects mentioned
earlier in this article, Robbe is also confident
that this renewed cooperation will be highly
successful.
a.hak magazine PIPELINES & FACILITIES 15

Safety is our
first priority
A.Hak Industrie completed work on three
underground pipelines for fertilizer man-
ufacturer OCI Nitrogen. Completing this
work in 2014 was the grand finale of a proj-
ect that connects the production location
to the Stein Port in Southern Limburg.
Each pipeline is used for a different purpose.
OCI Nitrogen uses one of them to dispose of
ammonia. The second pipeline transports liquid
fertilizer, while the third pipeline is not yet utilized
but was specifically built for future expansion.
The new Construction Driven Engineering meth-
od, used in various A.Hak projects in 2014, also
played an important part in this project. It meant
that A.Hak Industrie joined the thought process
with all other parties from the very beginning of
the engineering phase. Tangible benefits of this
method proved to be a decrease in the need for
improvisation during the execution phase and
the fact that all project risks were much better
mapped before the first soil was actually moved.
This led to over 29,000 man hours being com-
pleted without a single Lost Time Incident. OCI
Nitrogen’s Plant Manager, Patric de Konink, says
‘A.Hak Industrie kept every promise they made,
both in terms of safety and project execution. I’m
also very pleased about the welding quality.’
Project Leader Etienne Haine of Sitech Service
speaks of a great safety culture within the A.Hak
companies contributing to the project. ‘Safety is
our number one priority, and we’ve experienced
that the same goes for A.Hak. Together we spent
a lot of time and attention on safety. Not only by
continuously emphasizing our Live Saving Rules
communicated in the kick-off meeting, but also
by continuously checking the safety performance
and learning whenever we could.’
16 PIPELINES & FACILITIES a.hak magazine
‘Adding
SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE
RESPECTING OUR PLANET
Corporate Social Responsibility in-
cludes working with respect for our
environment. Even though ‘­being maximum
green’ can be difficult with the
equipment we need to complete our value while
work, and in the industries we work
in, we feel responsible and account- minimizing
waste’
able for the effects our actions have
on the world we live in.
Removing
old pipelines
In 2014, A.Hak Industrie developed a new
method to remove drain pipelines both
safely and efficiently.
The drainage pipelines at one of the largest oil
terminals in the world, the Maasvlakte Oil Terminal MOTION DEFECTS
(MOT), were worn out over time. These pipelines No excessive movements Do it right the first time
are specifically installed to be able to clear the
main pipeline in case of a calamity or emergency.
To guarantee operational continuity, these pipe-
lines had to be removed.
The most significant and expensive problem
for the customer, is that during these tasks, the
main pipeline must be taken out of operation. In OVERPRODUCTION
order to limit these negative consequences for Produce only what’s necessary
the customer, A.Hak Industrial developed a new
method to remove the drainage pipelines, without TRANSPORT
having to take the pipeline offline or clean it first. No unneeded transport
By placing a nozzle on the primary pipeline, the
drain pipelines could be removed from the inside
out. During the work, the drain pipeline was fully
protected and conditioned with nitrogen. It’s a
method that proved to have a double benefit, it’s
economically more feasible and increases safety.
After having prepared for more than half a year,
the first pilot configuration was set up at MOT in REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS
order to extensively test the methods on a dummy Multiple initiatives were implemented in 2014 to reduce our carbon In previous publications,
pipeline. Once the results showed consistent suc- emissions. By working ‘Lean’ (a management theory originating from A.Hak already stated that
cess, the actual project was carried out smoothly. Japan) we continue to reduce the waste of natural resources while becoming a carbon neutral
also being more aware about topics such as stock management and organization in 2020 is a
transport movements. In the past year, we also made significant in- top priority. To attain this
vestments in energy-efficient equipment. Of course this equipment is objective, the most im-
subject to a considerable human factor in its daily operations, which portant thing for all A.Hak
is why we invest considerable time in educating our staff members companies is to focus on
on how to operate this equipment efficiently. The combined effects of the two largest sources of
these measures lead to a considerable reduction of both our internal emissions, equipment and
costs and carbon emissions; and that’s double profit. mobility.
a.hak magazine SUSTAINABILITY 17
 Complete
DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS

services in
each region
A.Hak Distribution & Networks primarily focuses on the design, construction and
maintenance of infrastructure used to distribute gas, water and electricity. Four additional
fields of expertise are offered to a diverse customer portfolio: communications and data
connections, district heating, underground low, medium and high voltage connections and
public lighting and lighting solutions for terrains and sports accommodations. The thriving
force behind the creation of this division was the objective of developing an efficient
operational model from which both the customers and our organization may benefit.

The A.Hak companies in our

Distribution & Networks division
provide for the infrastructures that
connect homes and businesses
with the intricate networks of
cables and pipelines distributing
gas, water, electricity, heating
and communication. The division
also offers expert solutions for,
amongst others, public lighting,
district heating, low, medium and
high voltage connections and
telecommunication. With domestic
coverage in the Netherlands, this
division primarily operates in the
Dutch market, although international
projects are also carried out for a
multitude of customers.

18 DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS a.hak magazine a.hak magazine DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS 19

TEXT  Richard van Santen
PHOTOGRAPHY  Maarten van der Voorde
P
ipelines & Facilities was the first new division A.Hak
created in 2013. In a next step, the groundwork for
the Distribution & Networks division was laid in 2014,
by integrating the activities of A.Hak Infranet, A.Hak Telecom,
A.Hak Electron, A.Hak Engineering and Plaisier.
This process will be further streamlined in phases to form
a lean and highly effective organization.
CLEAR AND EFFICIENT
The formation of this division went beyond simply integrating
various existing companies. Especially in the fields of gas,
water, electricity and communication networks, the A.Hak
companies in this division have long operated in a highly
competitive market with very tight margins. Customers are in-
creasingly demanding combined project execution in various
fields of expertise. This means that an efficient cooperation
and a clear market proposition are critical in order to achieve
both optimum services for customers and improved opera-
tional results for A.Hak itself. A.Hak Distribution & Networks
is now ready for this challenge with regionally oriented, all-
round business units that offer a full range of services close
to the customer’s location.
NATIONAL COVERAGE
The formation of these all-round regional offices was
achieved by adding the activities of A.Hak Telecom, A.Hak
Electron and A.Hak Engineering to the already diverse
service portfolio of A.Hak Infranet. The new and improved
A.Hak Infranet will work from five regions, spread out over
the Netherlands. Together with Plaisier, the other member
of the division and a household name in the Northwestern
Netherlands, they will offer national coverage. Each regional
business unit will be able to provide for the full range of ser-
‘Our customers
are increasingly
demanding com-
bined project
execution ’
vices that the division has to offer. From basic infrastructure
for distributing gas, water and electricity to the specialized
services in the fields of district heating, power connections,
lighting and telecommunications. Although the division pri-
marily has a domestic focus it has an open mind to interna-
tional opportunities.
20 DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS a.hak magazine
COMMUNICATION & DATA
The communication and data experts
at A.Hak Distribution & Networks
install fast and reliable networks for
telephone, data and other commu-
nication traffic; both wired and
wireless. They also offer specific
expertise on various advanced
communication appliances. By
connecting sensors to a digital net-
work, real-time information can be
gathered from any given location on
any given moment. A ‘sensor’ in that
respect can be virtually anything. It
can be a pole that can ‘smell’ the air
to monitor its quality, a microphone
that detects noise disturbances,
or a camera that monitors traffic.
Network connected camera secu-
rity solutions were also in popular
demand last year. These cameras also
proved useful while further enhanc-
ing the security at sizeable A.Hak
projects.
POWER CONNECTIONS
In the field of electrical power
A.Hak is an excellent partner for
underground low, medium and high
voltage connections. The knowledge
and expertise available were often
called upon in 2014 by a multitude
of utility corporations. In the Rotter-
dam metropolitan area we installed
a number of cable connections with
capacities varying between 10 and
150 kV. In a next step, the cables
between two stations were replaced.
To accommodate this, eight 28 kV
fields were refitted. To replace the
connections without causing a
network overload, the existing cable
route was abandoned and a new
trajectory was created by carrying
out three bundled drillings under the
A15 highway.
These drillings are a great example
of close cooperation between the
A.Hak divisions as they were carried
out by A.Hak Drillcon, part of part
of our Products & Services division.
The experience of A.Hak Pipelines &
Facilities in the field of constructing
large underground infrastructures
can also be called upon by Distribu-
tion & Networks.
LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY
A great example of a successful proj-
ect completed by the A.Hak Distribu-
tion & Networks experts in the field
of terrain and sports accommodation
lighting, was the construction of an
energy-saving lighting system with
eighteen columns and forty LED fix-
tures for a tennis park in Rotterdam.
The fact that his park is located on
peaty soil meant that a tailored solu-
tion was required. The underground
elements of the light columns were
pushed into the ground thirteen to
fifteen meters, while the densely
urbanized area prevented the deploy-
ment of large equipment. By care-
fully maneuvering in the cramped
workspace and maintaining a very
This tennis park in strict schedule that always allowed
Rotterdam became various tennis courts to remain open,
future-proof with this sports accommodation could
a new sustainable also be added to a long list of highly
lighting solution. satisfied customers.
DISTRICT HEATING
District heating projects exist in
many sizes and shapes. In 2011,
A.Hak worked on a masterpiece with
the construction of a heat transfer
pipeline under the IJ Lake. Last year,
the colleagues at A.Hak Pipelines &
Facilities were the main contractors
for large district heating projects in
the Arnhem-Nijmegen metropolitan
area. A.Hak Distribution & Networks
division proved that objects some-
what out of the ordinary, such as
typical Dutch houseboats, can also be
connected to this more sustainable
way of domestic heating.
This particular project wasn’t a walk
in the park, as the water levels may
vary from season to season and even
from day to day. The houseboats are
therefore connected to the district
heating network with a flexible,
insulated pipe manufactured of
The experts of A.Hak stainless steel. As part of a larger
also connect objects project, carried out using the com-
to district heating that bined expertise of staff across the
are somewhat out of division, our experts also removed
the ordinary, such as old pipelines from the dike while
these typically Dutch modifying and updating the sewage
houseboats. infrastructure.
a.hak magazine DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS 21

Restructured roads call for work
on underground infrastructure
In the wake of road restructuring and rerouting, it is often required to reroute existing cables and
pipelines as well. In 2014, a multitude of customers contracted various A.Hak companies to make
these necessary changes to the underground infrastructure.
An abundance of changes were made to roads in the
Northern Netherlands in 2014. As a result of that, A.Hak
Infranet was kept busy with rerouting of the under-
ground infrastructure of pipelines and cables in the vicin-
ity of these roads. A new provincial road in the Dutch
northern Province of Frisia was built, aimed at improving
the connections between various local municipalities and
enhancing traffic safety.
DETAILED ENGINEERING
The project for which A.Hak was contracted was a great
example of the added value that comes to exist once mul-
tiple A.Hak companies join forces. A.Hak Infranet foreman
Tim Wiersma explains: ‘We took the initiative to take care
of the detailed engineering for the network operators. At
the same time traffic nuisance was kept to a minimum,
as well as nuisance for local residents, even though we
sometimes were literally working in their gardens.’ His
team signed A.Hak Drillcon to complete various drillings,
A.Hak Telecom to install fiberglass connections, Tjaden
for dewatering and Plaisier to carry out the mirror welding.
22 DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS a.hak magazine
T
he 2003 dike breach in the Dutch town
of Wilnis near Utrecht had an adverse
result occurring twelve years later. The
foundation of this water pipeline, running
A leak in a water transport pipeline, a delayed through the peat dike that is reinforced with
result of a dike breach that occurred over clay, collapsed. Last year, this caused the water
twelve years ago, formed a hazard to the transport pipeline to start leaking. Customer
continuity of drinking water facilities in the Waternet wanted to have this problem solved
Dutch province of North-Holland. Customer immediately to guarantee the continuity of
Waternet wanted so solve this problem as their drinking water supply to the local resi-
quickly as possible and contracted A.Hak dents and relied on A.Hak Infranet’s expertise
Infranet to get the job done. to accommodate it.
PHOTOGRAPHY  René Oudshoorn CONTINUOUS MONITORING
Peter van der Grijspaarde was involved in this
project as one of A.Hak Infranet’s regional
Company Managers. ‘First we installed a
temporary sheet pile and removed the existing
water pipelines’, he explains. ‘We also installed
a permanent sheet pile that now acts as a
flood defense. With a team of fifteen staff
members working in shifts, we then started
to work on the construction of a new steel
water transport pipeline, including welding and
coating tasks and applying supportive ele-
ments.’ He emphasized that employees of the
local water authorities continuously monitored
their work. ‘The pressure on the peat dike in
particular was monitored 24 hours a day to
prevent overpressure. Of course we took this
possible effect into account while transporting
our materials and equipment over it.’
TIGHT DEADLINE
More work had to be done on other pipeline
segments at other locations, which meant that
Waternet could only take the segment that
A.Hak Infranet was working on out of produc-
WIDENED PROVINCIAL ROAD tion for a maximum of three weeks. ‘That’s
In the two other northern Dutch provinces, Groningen why we devoted a lot of attention to getting
and Drenthe, traffic flow and traffic safety were also im- our work done on-time’, Van der Grijspaarde
proved by doubling the lanes on the provincial N33 road. clarifies. ‘We worked with a double team to
After almost two years of hard work, this road is now ful- remove the old pipeline and install the new
Repairing
ly open for public use. The widening of this road meant one. It proved to be a successful approach
that exits, roundabouts and a frontage road all had to be as the schedule was maintained and the
replaced, and that’s just the visible infrastructure. As for ­water transport pipeline was connected to the
the elements that usually remain invisible to the naked infrastructure and commissioned well on-time,
a leaking
eye, A.Hak Infranet relocated a large number of cables leading to a fully satisfied customer.’
and pipelines for gas, water, electricity, communication
and data.
Fabian de Vos, Work Planner for A.Hak Infranet, tells:
water pipeline
‘Starting in March 2013, we completed projects for
various customers including utilities corporation Enexis,
Water Pipeline Corporation Drenthe, Water Compa-
ny Groningen and VolkerWessels Telecom. We also
constructed a 6" high pressure gas pipeline, combined
with a medium voltage connection and a fiberglass cable
route.’
a.hak magazine DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS 23

Gazing farther
into the universe
Within the A.Hak family of companies,
A.Hak Telecom offers a wide array of
services for fast and hassle-free data
and communications traffic. A specific
expertise this company has, and a quite
rare one as well, is the ability to complete
cable work for observatories. A great
example of which is a project carried out by
A.Hak Telecom in Germany, for customer
ASTRON.
In a previous project in Westerbork, the Nether-
lands, A.Hak Telecom already proved its ability to
accommodate the high-tech requirements obser-
vatories have. The standards of the work delivered
there were so impressive, that it didn’t take long
before this expertise was called upon again; this
time in the vicinity of Hamburg in Germany. The
facility hosts an optical telescope that allows one
to gaze into the universe even further than before.
Before work could start, it was important to level
the terrain meticulously, after which the data was
sent to ASTRON. Upon quick receipt of their ap-
proval, the construction of the new 96 HBA and
96 KBA antennas could begin.
The latest international LOFAR station, of which
this project is an element, was commissioned in
December 2013. The station is part of the LOFAR
system, consisting of various stations used to re-
ceive signals from space. These signals are then
converted with supercomputers to form images
used for various scientific purposes.
This newest station will be utilized by, amongst
others, scientists of the University of Hamburg,
whose expertise includes the formation and evo-
lution of galaxies. Furthermore, scientists at the
University of Bielefeld will also use this station to
investigate how the distribution of galaxies in the
universe takes place.
24 DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS a.hak magazine
VITAL STAFF MEMBERS
SAFE & HEALTHY
In the A.Hak company culture, a
lot of topics are up for discussion,
but absenteeism is not one of ‘Fit and healthy
them. Our position on this matter
is simple and straightforward: during your
limit it to an absolute minimum.
Sustainable employment of our
staff members is one of the key
entire career’
parameters in that regards, but we
also support people for whom it is
hard to find a job without support.
Water under SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT
the Wantij River At the end of 2014, all our
knowledge and capabilities in
the field of sustainable employ-
A.Hak Infranet installs the infrastructure ment were combined in ‘A.Hak
for facilities we all need at home or in our Safe & Healthy’; a group of
office. This includes gas, water, electricity internal and external experts
and heating solutions. In 2014 Evides, a in the field of absenteeism
large Dutch water company, was a key ac- reduction and illness prevention.
count. The project completed for this cus- The objective of this group is to
tomer left them highly satisfied and surely support the A.Hak companies in
aware of where to find this A.Hak company reducing absenteeism and stimu-
for future needs. lating safe and healthy work
conditions and attitudes. The
Customer Evides requested A.Hak Infranet to creation of a labor pool helps in
manage all work needed to install two DN800 this respect. Staff members who
water pipelines with 600 and 700 meter lengths cannot (or can no longer) carry
under the Wantij River, close to the Dutch city out their own work, are offered
of Dordrecht. The drilling work and engineering (temporary) other work within
tasks were carried out by drilling expert A.Hak the organization. Furthermore,
Drillcon, while all other work, including excavation work is underway to create a
tasks and project management, was primarily vitality program that supports
carried out by A.Hak Infranet. colleagues to maintain and im-
prove their personal health and
‘Quite a challenging project’, summarizes ­Evides’ fitness. In addition, the group
Project Leader, Ed Holierhoek: ‘The drilling was ensures that all A.Hak compa-
not allowed to surface on the adjacent golf nies possess the right knowledge
court premises, but had to surface on a bike about prevention, absenteeism
path. That’s why we opted for a ‘stacked’ drilling, and reintegration support.
in which the drillings are made on top of each
other.’ To create the space needed, a temporary
new bike path was created on the dike to divert
cyclists. And it didn’t take long before they all
enjoyed the new view over the river.
The water pipeline serves to transport untreated
water from the collection basins in the ‘Biesbosch’ SOCIAL RETURN
nature reserve to the water treatment plant locat- With the ‘Social Return’ program, the Slimnet project in the Dutch city governments and job agencies to
ed a few miles further. These new water pipelines A.Hak strives to find jobs for people of Purmerend where the piping for create sustainable jobs for people
had to be installed as new dike reinforcements who are distanced from the employ- district heating was replaced in over for whom finding a job is difficult.
were made adjacent to the Wantij River. ment market. Over the past year 4,000 homes. A.Hak also became a Lotus’ expertise will also be applied
we succeeded in that on multiple member of the Locus Network, an within A.Hak to employ our own
occasions, an example of which is organization that helps companies, staff sustainably.
a.hak magazine VITALITY 25
 PRODUCTS & SERVICES
A.Hak Products & Services consists
of a number of companies that
deliver the various products and
services that allow A.Hak to be
an all-round company. Drilling
experts enable trenchless pipeline
construction and cable connections.
Our coating experts ensure that
pipelines are protected in both
onshore and offshore environments,
and groundwater is managed by
our dewatering professionals. This
division also offers a vast spectrum of
industrial services aimed at testing,
inspecting and cleaning storage
tanks, furnaces and pipeline systems.
The Products & Services division also
manufactures a number of products,
including masts and columns, steel
constructions, heat exchangers and
various other products.
26 PRODUCTS & SERVICES a.hak magazine
The A.Hak companies in the
Products & Services division
deliver products and services that
enable A.Hak to carry out each
phase of multi-facetted projects
autonomously. Of course this
division does not only work for
their fellow A.Hak companies and
divisions, but is also regularly
contracted by external customers.
TEXT  Richard van Santen
PHOTOGRAPHY  Maarten van der Voorde
T
he vast array of products and services
A.Hak offers is one of the most distin-
guishing aspects of our firm. Each of the
A.Hak companies, clustered in four divisions, has
its own expertise. Once they join forces during a
project, A.Hak is able to carry out virtually every
possible link in the entire project chain.
Let’s take the gas transport pipeline project
‘Beverwijk-Wijngaarden’ (read more on pages
12 to 15) as an example to explain how this
takes place during projects. This 60 kilometer
pipeline, constructed in 2013 and 2014, is part
Strong
of the ‘gas hub’ built by customer Gasunie. Every
single pipeline segment used for the construction
of this 600 kilometer network has been coated,
stored or distributed by A.Hak’s coating company
links
Conline-Rhenania. The A.Hak dewatering expert,
Tjaden, was contracted to manage the ground
water levels for the same gas hub on various
occasions as well.
in the
CONSTRUCTIVE COOPERATION
Drilling expert A.Hak Drillcon, part of the same
Products & Services division as Conline-Rhenania
and Tjaden, also played its part in constructing
chain
the gas hub. They contributed importantly to
the Beverwijk-Wijngaarden project: no less than
fifteen of the sixty kilometers of pipeline that was
installed by A.Hak had to be constructed using
various drilling methods or ‘trenchless technology’.
A final combination worth mentioning is A.Hak
Pipeline Services, a cooperation between the
A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities division and A.Hak
Industrial Services (part of Products & Services).
A.Hak Pipeline Services was signed to test and
a.hak magazine PRODUCTS & SERVICES 27

SUCTION EXCAVATORS
The underground infrastructure can be highly com-
plex at numerous locations, meaning that digging and
drilling carries the risk of damaging existing pipelines
and cables. In such cases, A.Hak Products & Services
can rely on the suction excavators of LGB, a company
in which A.Hak owns a 60% share.
28 PRODUCTS & SERVICES a.hak magazine
dry the pipeline. Upon the completion of this
magnificent project, both Gasunie and the man-
agement of A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities praised
the constructive cooperation with all the A.Hak
companies involved.
SOLUTIONS IN FRANCE
A.Hak Drillcon and Tjaden teamed up more often
in 2014 during projects in which multiple A.Hak
companies were involved. Tjaden was hired by
A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities and its French partner
Spiecapag for a complex dewatering issue as the
Arc de Dierrey project carried out for GRTgaz
(ref. pages 7 to 9). During the construction of
a total of 300 kilometers of 48" pipeline, the
‘A compre-
hensive set of
­services is what
makes us so
­remarkable’
groundwater was a disturbing influence on certain
segments of the trajectory. To keep the trench
dry, large amounts of water, approximately 2,000
cubic meters per hour, had to be extracted from In order to maintain its position
the soil. Tjaden solved this problem where various as one of Europe’s largest in-
other companies had already failed, by deploying dependent coating companies,
vacuum suction pipes with a diameter 1.5 times Conline-Rhenania endeavored
many years to identify new growth
Conquering the
larger than normally used in the Netherlands.
opportunities and to stay ahead
FIRST CURVED DRILLING of the competition. In 2014, this
Both companies met again in Amsterdam, where resulted in the assembly of a
world with a
Tjaden constructed a geothermal heating system brand-new, state-of-the-art off-
for which A.Hak Drillcon completed a horizontal shore coating plant. With this
directional drilling. For the drilling experts of the development, the coating expert
state of the art
A.Hak family, 2014 was a year of scoops. During continues to significantly contrib-
the relocation of an 18" pipeline for customer ute to the various activities of the
Gasunie, the company completed the first curved entire A.Hak organization.
offshore center
drilling in its history. In Germany, A.Hak Drillcon
took on its first project as main contractor for a
large tunneling project. All multi-facetted tasks
were carried out or managed under the responsi-
bility of this successful A.Hak company.
a.hak magazine PRODUCTS & SERVICES 29
 SOLID FACTORY
DESIGN
To ensure a solid factory
design, Conline-Rhe-
nania teamed up with
Vallourec, the world’s
largest manufacturer of
TEXT  Senid Salihovic seamless tubes. Together,
PHOTOGRAPHY  Maarten van der Voorde they asked various oil
corporations and pipeline

O
ne of the markets on which Conline-Rhenania will companies to share their
further increase its focus in years to come is the opinions about facilities
offshore industry. To be fair, this is also simply a this factory and opera-
requirement as the northwestern European onshore industry is tions had to offer. The re-
becoming saturated. However, for a growing company as Con- sult was a firm package of
line-Rhenania, it’s not only about shifting focus. The ambitious requirements which was
coating company works towards an important objective: to directly applied by the
become a globally accepted, sizeable partner for the offshore coating company to cre-
industry. In order to achieve these ambitions and stay ahead of ate a truly demand-driven
and high-end production
location. Of course the

‘The new factory vast work experience of

the staff members at the

is a fully-fledged various existing produc-

tion locations was also

production
part of the equation.

location’
the curve, it was decided to invest in a new factory, headquar-
ters, storage and distribution location in Moerdijk; a sizeable
Dutch inland location with great connections to the Ports of
Antwerp and Rotterdam.
On March 26th 2014, Willem van Geenhuizen, the CEO emer-
itus of A.Hak, laid the cornerstone for this now operational
location. In the meantime, since November 5th 2014 when
production officially commenced, a whole lot of pipes have
been coated. The smooth cooperation between various A.Hak
companies contributed to this incredibly quick development.
A.Hak Infranet, Drillcon, Telecom, Industrie, MCL, Tjaden and
Kaal Masten, all of them deployed their knowledge and exper-
tise to build this new state of the art facility.
The new factory is a fully-fledged production location where
Conline-Rhenania can work on an abundance of projects
simultaneously. Perhaps even more important and useful for its
customers, is the fact that this location has all coating prod-
ucts for the offshore industry directly available and enables
customers to store their goods here. In addition to supporting
all current processes, the factory is also designed to accommo-
date future development of new and existing coating systems.
One of the new activities carried out here is ‘double jointing’:
welding small pipes together to create an increased total
length, after which the longer pipe can be coated as one single
piece. An improved Pipe Tracking system was also implement-
ed, allowing staff members to carry out measurements at any
given moment with results that can be converted into clear data
about modifications that took place on any specific location
at any given time. This system provides for a state of the art
malfunction or deviation identification process.
SAFETY
Another key aspect during the planning process of this new
location was to fully integrate the latest QHSE (Quality, Health,
Safety and Environment) standards. Machine safety was
mapped with RI&E (Risk Inventories & Evaluations), while all
work methods were completely reviewed from a QHSE point of
view. This resulted in various improvements in multiple aspects
of the daily work carried out by Conline-Rhenania. Integrating
these thought processes from the very first moment ensured
that both the location and processes now utilized by Con-
line-Rhenania to service its customers, meet the most stringent
QHSE requirements.
TOP 5 SUPPLIER
In order to become a globally accepted partner in the offshore
industry, a company needs sizeable orders and qualifications,
something for which preparations were started years ago. In
2008, Conline-Rhenania already decided to qualify as a Top 5
supplier that offers a vast coating solutions portfolio. To attain
this objective, a brand-new production line had to be config-
ured, which was one of the primary reasons to build the new
factory in the Netherlands in the first place. It didn’t take long
before the first fruits could be reaped, as Conline-Rhenania
qualified as a supplier for Total in 2010. This also led to receiv-
ing a large order quite quickly, as the company was awarded
the CLOV project. For this project, Conline-Rhenania added
a three layer polypropylene coating (3LPP) to a total of 155
kilometers of pipes with diameters varying between 10" and
16". The inner walls of the pipeline were also coated, allowing
for a better gas flow.
MORE SATISFIED CUSTOMERS
While Conline-Rhenania worked hard at its new Moerdijk
location in 2014, the work at other locations also continued.
At the production location in Nijmegen for instance, coating
work was done for the Khazzan project for BP. This project is
the first phase in the development of a number of gas fields in
the central part of Oman that measure a total of 2,800 square
kilometers. Production at these fields is expected to start at
the end of 2017. BP expects to increase the daily production in
Oman with no less than a third.
The pipes used for this project have a total length of 175
kilometers and consist of duplex stainless steel pipes with 8,
10, 12 and 16 inch diameters. Conline-Rhenania will apply a
three layer polypropylene anti-corrosion coating that is able to
handle temperatures up to 110 °C.
By adding heavyweight names such as Shell, Total,
BP and GRTgaz to the list of highly satisfied customers, which
already included Gasunie, Conline-Rhenania is well underway
on its path towards achieving its ambitions.

30 PRODUCTS & SERVICES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine PRODUCTS & SERVICES 31
A year full
For A.Hak Drillcon, our innovative expert in trenchless technologies for
pipelines and cables, 2014 was a year full of scoops. The drilling under
an operational runway of Schiphol International Airport proved highly
media friendly, the very first curved drilling in its history took place and

of scoops
its role as main contractor for Europe’s largest active tunnel project,
proved that this A.Hak company is very capable to independently
manage and complete large international projects.

TEXT  Richard van Santen

PHOTOGRAPHY  Carel Kramer
A.HAK DRILLCON TAKES A NEXT
STEP IN ITS GROWTH

T
here’s a first time for everything, and A.Hak
Drillcon surely knows that. As the first com-
pany in the Netherlands, they applied the
Direct Pipe drilling technology in 2010, followed
by a Direct Pipe drilling in 2011 that still holds the
world record in terms of length with an aston-
ishing 1,400 meters. 2013 was the year in which
such a drilling was carried out on French soil for
the very first time. And 2014 was yet another year
of scoops. This started as early as in January
when A.Hak Drillcon completed an HDD (hori-
zontal directional drilling) under the operational
‘Polder’ runway of Schiphol International Airport.
RUNWAY CROSSING
Although this HDD had a very appealing context,
it certainly was not the most complex drilling
carried out by A.Hak Drillcon during this project.
According to the Project Leader on behalf of
customer Gasunie, Frans van den Berg, that title
is reserved for a drilling under a nearby traffic
intersection. ‘That drilling was truly impressive,
based on the combination of length, horizontal
and vertical arc and the limited depth under this
vital traffic square near Schiphol International
Airport’, he writes in his epilogue in the photo
book ‘Extreme pipeline construction’ published by
A.Hak to commemorate this remarkable pipeline
project. And although this statement is absolute-
ly true from a technical perspective, everyone
witnessing the work being done by A.Hak Drillcon
from a layman’s point of view stood in awe while
watching how the runway remained fully op-
erational and impressively large airplanes kept
passing by during the drilling. The crowd included
a large number of representatives from global
media channels reporting this unique event to
their respective audiences.
MAIN CONTRACTOR
At the Elbedüker, a tunnel project in Germany,
A.Hak Drillcon itself was selected as the main
contractor. That was a double ‘first’: Not only was
it the first project in A.Hak Drillcon’s existence
in which a tunnel project of this magnitude was
carried out, they also were ultimately responsible
for both the drilling tasks itself and all other work.
The Elbe River is frequented by sea vessels head-
ing to or departing from the Port of Hamburg. As
the sizes of these vessels continue to increase,
the river had to be deepened and existing gas
pipelines needed to be replaced. The tunnel under
the Elbe River near Hetlingen, a town close to
Hamburg, was drilled per request of customers
Gasunie Deutschland Transport Services, Open
Grid Europe, Deutsche Telekom and WSA-Ham-
burg. The two new 30" high pressure gas pipeline
will help to guarantee the gas supply towards
Northern Germany and, in the future, to Scandi-
navia as well.
REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS
The construction of a tunnel measuring 1,528
meters in length, at a depth of 33 meters below
the water, was a challenging project in itself.
The jacket pipe with a three meter diameter was
constructed with an average pace of 24 meters
a day using the microtunneling method. Concrete
segments with four meter lengths were pushed
under the river one by one. From an environmen-
tal and corporate social responsibility perspective,
transport movements and carbon emissions
were limited by shipping these segments from
Duisburg to Wedel and from there on towards the
construction site by local transport companies.
As the main contractor, A.Hak Drillcon coordinat-
ed all these transport movements.

32 PRODUCTS & SERVICES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine PRODUCTS & SERVICES 33
 Naturally the work didn’t stop there. Company
Manager Peter Dennig explains: ‘We had already
made name for ourselves as a reliable subcon-
tractor and drilling expert for an abundance of
projects for other companies both inside and
outside the A.Hak family. For the Elbedüker
project however, we coordinated the cooperation
the drilling head, allowing our people to work Kaal Masten launched a new product line for conical
safely in this space. And this wasn’t the first light masts that saves both energy and raw materi-
modification to the TBM, as previous work al- als. The manufacturer of masts and columns aimed at
ready prepared it to become able to work under sustainable operations also continued development
the high water pressure at this depth.’ of the manufacturing process of the SPIRIT design; an
entirely solar powered LED based lighting system.
PULLING THE BUNDLE IN

between more than 25 partners, including various
subcontractors and suppliers, while also being
responsible for the pipelines, civil engineering and
all work in and on the water.’
MODIFIED DRILLING MACHINE
In the water? Exactly, as a special diving team
worked on the drilling head on three separate
occasions. The river bottom of the Elbe contains
large boulders left there by retreating glaciers
during the ice age. One of the rocks met under-
way had a cross section of several meters, caus-
ing the chisels on the drilling head to become
blunt after which they had to be replaced. ‘The
supplier of the tunnel boring machine (TBM), the
German firm Herrenknecht, modified the TBM
especially for this project’, Dennig explains. ‘This
allowed us to create an overpressure in front of
F
Once the exit pit on the southern shore was ive years ago, Kaal Masten teamed up with German
reached on December 4th 2014, the last import- manufacturer Leifeld to develop a unique manufacturing
ant step of this operation was to be completed process for conical lighting masts. Not only does this
in the spring of 2015. On March 19th, 2015, process save energy and material in comparison to the tradi-
the pipeline bundle through which the gas will tional production process, the masts are also esthetically more
flow under the River Elbe was pulled into the pleasing and welds are no longer visual to the naked eye.
Elbedüker. The bundle for this operation, carried
out with an HDD rig, consisted of two steel UNIQUE MACHINE WITHOUT A MANUAL
gas pipelines with a 700 mm diameter, HDPE Early in 2014, Leifeld delivered the 37 meter long machine,
jacket pipes and communications and fiberglass thereby completing the new production line for conical light-
cables. In the final step, the tunnel pipe was ing masts. A team of Kaal Masten staff members completed
filled up with mortar, after which A.Hak Drillcon training in 2014, enabling them to operate the machine safely
concluded yet another ‘first time’ and left a highly and efficiently. As this machine is both absolutely unique and
satisfied customer. ‘By accomplishing that, we so brand-new that even the written manual is still being drafted,
proved our ability to carry out large orders inde- the course was fully tailor-made. ‘It really was a quest to discov-
pendently and our readiness for an international er all the options this machine has’, elaborates the Operations
future as a main contractor’, concludes a proud Department Manager at Kaal Masten, Bas van der Brink. ‘By
Peter Dennig. procuring this new production line, we can manufacture our
own conical mast elements and don’t have to purchase them
separately. Of course the competition also keeps a close eye
on these developments and I believe this new production line is
making them rather nervous.’

FIRST CURVED DRILLING FURTHER OPTIMIZATION OF SPIRIT

Horizontal directional drilling with For Kaal Masten, 2014 also was a year of fine-tuning the
pre-bended pipes, also called curved SPIRIT. Company Director Jos van den Hurk lets us know that
drilling, isn’t a completely new tech- progress was made on the hardware and software used to load
nique, but was carried out by A.Hak the battery systems. ‘The SPIRIT uses solar panels to gener-
Drillcon for the first time in 2014. This ate energy for its LED lighting. This energy must be stored
drilling was part of a project for custom- efficiently. Depending on the amount of energy generated, the
er Gasunie in which an 18" pipeline was control unit automatically configures the light cycle and intensity
relocated to enable the widening of the of the LED lighting. It’s therefore an essential element that now
local N-62 road between the Western operates at a higher efficiency.’
Scheldt Tunnel and the A58 highway.
This technique offers two benefits. WORLDWIDE INTEREST
First, the pre-bended pipes enable the Van den Hurk saw the interest for this mast further increase in
completion of an HDD with a smaller 2014. In the Netherlands, the SPIRIT can already be found in
curve, meaning that the arc in the pipe the Rotterdam port area and around Amsterdam Central Station,
is made more sharply so that the entry but also in a small town where it lights a road crossing for cows.
and exit points can be located closer to ‘The international demand for the SPIRIT is also rapidly growing,
one another. Second, less free space is KAAL MASTEN CONTINUES SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY as we’re receiving requests from the United States, the Middle

A unique
needed to lay out the pipeline string. East and Africa’, explains the Director. ‘And it’s dictated by logic,
With this experience, A.Hak Drillcon as governments and other customers want to decrease their
now has yet another alternative to use dependency on fossil fuels. It’s also becoming increasingly more
if onsite workspace is limited. The col- important that can substantiate their commitment to innovation

machine
leagues at A.Hak Pipelines & Facilities and sustainability. The SPIRIT is a very tangible way of doing
were selected as the main contractors that. The mast operates greatly, offers dynamic lighting, is en-
for this project. tirely solar-powered and the investment is certainly acceptable.
It’s a package deal that matches the era we live in.’

34 PRODUCTS & SERVICES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine PRODUCTS & SERVICES 35
 New
Netherlands in Hoogeveen, has GLOBAL ACTIVITIES CLOSER TO HOME
actively focused on decontamina- In 2014, HIS prepared the founding Not always does HIS have to travel
tion: removing hydrocarbons from of a new service point in Italy to the entire world to find challeng-

markets and
chemical installations. To complete
these tasks efficiently, they rely on
the internally developed Hak-Safe-
Guard® product.
Hak-SafeGuard® is pH neutral,
offer a high and more efficient ser-
vice level to its southern European
customers. This new location will be
home to various sorts of equipment
aimed at furnace cleaning, nitrogen
ing projects. The company proved
highly successful in Romania in
a project that included furnace
cleaning and inspections, in which

products
the latest double-pass decoking
100% biodegradable and fully com- work and possibly even full inspec- unit (DPU05) was deployed after
plies with all REACH stipulations. tions. The HIS activities were also being officially commissioned in
These unique characteristics were expanded on many other internation- early 2014. In the Netherlands,
quickly noticed by many customers al locations, two milestones of which HIS worked on both onshore and
and led to various orders, including were the signing of a multiannual offshore projects in virtually all its
one that will be carried out in 2015 contract with a large Oil & Gas sup- fields of expertise, also contribut-
HIS OFFERS SMART SOLUTIONS for one of the largest global chemi- plier in Australia and various projects ing to the Beverwijk-Wijngaarden
FOR DIFFICULT TIMES cal organizations. in Central America. project in which A.Hak construct-
ed 60 kilometers of pipeline fur
customer Gasunie. To contribute
to the overall project results,
HIS teamed up with the A.Hak
Pipelines & Facilities division to
The low oil price and general turmoil in the energy industry in 2014 caused form the A.Hak Pipeline Services
many industrial corporations to postpone investments. For A.Hak Industrial entity with a separate office that
Services, often abbreviated to HIS, this slowdown had an upside, as the coordinated the testing, drying
integrated service portfolio of this A.Hak company is often called upon to and initial gas flow of the pipeline.
extend the lifecycles of existing systems and stations. Of course HIS also
aims at the future and continued to stay focused on product development
and obtaining market share at new worldwide locations; a strategy that
already proved valuable.

TEXT  Senid Salihovic

T
he Tank Services service line
was one of the priorities of
the past year. In this service
segment, the company introduced its
new ARCC system (short for ATEX
Remote Controlled Cleaning). This
nifty cleaning system eliminates the
need for manual cleaning and, in
comparison to traditional methods,
is considerably more efficient and
requires less man hours. The system
is equipped with HD cameras which
makes it possible to visually control
its progress, making it a highly
efficient system. In 2014, ARCC was
successfully deployed at various
projects, including one at a Spanish
refinery for which new tasks are al-
ready scheduled for 2015. In addition
to cleaning, the Tank Services port-
folio is also aimed at online sludge
profiling, desludging and inspection
of storage tanks. The word ‘online’
in this respect, means that the tank
can remain fully operational during
our work process; a primary focus for
HIS in its Tank Services portfolio.
HIGH-TECH INSPECTION ROBOTS
The Inspection Services service line
also showed some great progress
in the (continued) development of
two inspection robots for online tank
bottom inspections. The first robot,
the Petrobot, was developed within
the framework of a Joint Industry
Project (JIP), a cooperation between
various companies backed by the
European Commission. The second
robot, developed internally by HIS
itself, is dubbed the A500 and is
the very first robot that now is ATEX
certified for online inspections.
Because this was duly noted by the
industry, this robot will give HIS a
unique position. The A500 is fore-
casted to become fully operational in
the third or fourth quarter of 2015.
Based on the growing demand for
online Tank Services in 2014, HIS
also went to work to expand the
training location at their headquar-
ters in the Netherlands with a pilot
tank. This tank will be used to test
equipment, but also to train both
internal staff members and people
working for their customers and
partners. HIS already has a unique
Testing & Training environment
available at their Tricht headquarters
that includes a 200 meter pipeline
with varying diameters and a number
of test defects. Together with the
Avans+ University in Eindhoven, a
second fully fledged course was
held here in 2014, a new edition of
which will surely return in 2015. HIS
also teamed up with training institute
IIR to develop an Intelligent Pig-
ging Masterclass, aimed at industry
professionals. HIS developed the A500,
the first ATEX certified
HAK-SAFEGUARD® inspection robot.
The Industrial Services service line,
with a branch office in the northern

36 PRODUCTS & SERVICES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine PRODUCTS & SERVICES 37
 ‘Stay

SAFETY IS OUR FIRST PRIORITY

Our human capital is the thriving
force of our organization. It’s
therefore only logical that we
spend a considerable amount of alert!’
time and attention to keep our
people safe and in good shape,
but as with any other topic, we
should always strive to do better.

STAY ALERT!
One of the tools deployed in 2014 to
stimulate safe work attitudes, was our
‘Stay alert!’ campaign. This campaign is
aimed at showing people the possible
No construction pit too large consequences of momentary lapses of
concentration during specific tasks. This
theme is applied for various recurring
With over a century’s worth of high-end knowledge about geohy- tasks in our organization and is custom-
drology, ground water systems and water management techniques, ized for specific tasks. One example is
Tjaden adds indispensable value to A.Hak and its customers. As an the ‘Safe grinding’ program. The ‘Stay
expert in dewatering, this A.Hak company ensures that staff mem- alert!’ campaign is supported by various
bers of both A.Hak itself and external partners can keep their feet reinforcing materials such as posters,
dry while working in trenches. cups and barrier tape.

Tjaden completed all dewatering tasks for the Central Axis, a new road built
over the past years to improve accessibility in Northeastern Frisia. While
working on the N33, another provincial road in the northern Netherlands, A.Hak
Drillcon owed part of its successful completion of two bundled drillings to

ar ise
Tjaden’s support. In France, trenches were kept dry during the Arc de Dierrey

n sm ionon

y lly
t r as l
ks
ea h al
tio a ct h
project, where various other companies had already failed. Tjaden also got

to r st
da efu
ac ot tra rtp

gr ip m

is
the job done in Flanders, where they completed all dewatering tasks for the

ca oi
n s a
di m

tr s
construction of yet another road.

H
S

A
LARGEST CONSTRUCTION PIT
By constructing deep wells, systems that lower ground water levels and stabi-
lize them for long periods of time, Tjaden dewatered the largest construction
pit in the Netherlands in 2014. At this project Tjaden was contracted by both
a construction conglomerate and a project development corporation that are Bellen tijdens risicovolle activiteiten
heeft een negatief effect op de
werkzaamheden
currently constructing a new city center in ‘Leidsche Rijn’, a new segment of Je hebt je aandacht bij andere zaken
Je hebt minder controle
the expanding city of Utrecht.
Je kijkt minder goed om je heen
DUS
Ondanks voorzieningen als op- en
aantrede en handgrepen gebeuren
Regelmatig gebeuren ongevallen
waar hijskranen bij betrokken zijn.
veel incidenten tijdens het in- en
uitstappen. In 2014 waren er binnen
Drillcon zes incidenten door springen
WAT ZIJN DE OORZAKEN?
Betreden van gevarenzone
HOE IS DIT TE VOORKOMEN?
Werk alleen met deugdelijk en
van hoogte. Hoe is dit te voorkomen?
Geen of onjuiste afbakening goedgekeurd materiaal
van gevarenzone Controleer voor gebruik op keuring,
GEBRUIK DE DRIEPUNTSMETHODE
Onjuist aanslaan van de last onvolkomenheden en beschadigingen
Handgrepen vasthouden
Zet risicogebieden af

In the 1970’s, Tjaden was the very first company to succeed in infiltration, Bel nooit tijdens (risicovol) werk
Leg het werk stil voordat je gaat bellen
Minstens één voet op stabiele treeplank
Gezicht naar cabine, niet naar de jobsite
Loop nooit onder een kraan door

returning ground water to its original environment. The continued development

of this expertise was one of the reasons Tjaden was often contracted by many
customers. Injecting ground water back into the ground was done with a num-
ber of return pits during this project. They pumped flow rates of up to 710 cubic
meters per hour, right through a three kilometer HDPE pipeline system that
was entirely mirror welded. CHANGING BEHAVIOR
As people tend to maintain cer- work, is that it is highly import- of reporting hazardous situations.
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS tain behavioral patterns that are ant to create a work environment Another creative solution was found
We also know Tjaden from other fields of expertise. For customer Imtech, the engrained into their daily routines, where people feel comfortable with in the form of the ‘A.Hak is dropping
company constructed an open geothermal heating system in the Artis Royal changing behavior is often a hard addressing one another on unsafe by!’ campaign, in which an American
Zoo in Amsterdam. This system will be used in in the zoo to cool two national task. Within the framework of an behavior, regardless of position or school bus – an environment highly
monuments. ‘Our colleagues at A.Hak Drillcon completed a horizontal direction- A.Hak wide improvement plan, we seniority. Simple tools such as a associated with safety – was turned
al drilling, right under the flamingo pond. By execution the drilling at a depth of investigated various ways in which NUE card (Notification Undesired into a mobile training office used to
thirteen meters, we made sure that the pond and its colorful inhabitants were behavior can be influenced. One of Event) can help with that. This card, visit project locations and provide
not disturbed’, tells Company Manager Ruud Dorlandt on behalf of Tjaden. the conclusions drawn from this developed in 2014, is a simple way for on-site safety training.

38 PRODUCTS & SERVICES a.hak magazine a.hak magazine SAFETY 39

 RENEWABLE ENERGY
A.Hak Renewable Energy leads
our quest towards new and
sustainable energy solutions.
With this division, A.Hak actively
participates in the development of
the technology and exploitation of
new forms of sustainable energy
such as biomass, Power-to-Gas
and Blue Energy. The unique A.Hak
combination of vast international
work experience, innovation and
our experience with proven models
such as geothermal heating and the
appliance of residual heat for district
heating, allows us to manage and
carry out each phase of sustainable
energy projects.
40 RENAWABLE ENERGY a.hak magazine
The right mix
of experience
and innovation
Since 1963, that’s over half a
century, A.Hak has contribut-
ed to future-proof and reliable
infrastructures for utilities that
include energy. Throughout
the first decades, this primarily
revolved around the transport
and distribution of oil and gas,
but as the world changes, so do
we. Sustainable energy sources
are becoming increasingly more
important. The A.Hak Renew-
able Energy division carries
out projects, offers advice and
participates in innovative de-
velopments in the field of clean
and sustainable energy.
TEXT  Senid Salihovic/Adriaan van Hooijdonk
PHOTOGRAPHY  Maarten van der Voorde
T
he A.Hak Renewable Energy division
supports its customers in the process of
designing and constructing future-proof
energy solutions. The division has both the
knowledge and experience to offer solid advice
about structuring complex project plans, but can
also carry out entire projects itself. This consists
of the engineering and design phase, procure-
ment of equipment and materials, and the actual
construction and commissioning. And of course
it’s only helpful that the vast experience of the
other A.Hak divisions can always be tapped along
the way.
ROYAL START
When it comes to participating in new technolo-
gies, the opening of REDstack’s pilot factory by
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was the
absolute highlight of 2014. In the years to come,
this factory will facilitate expansion of the capacity
to generate Blue Energy, a technology in which
the difference in presence of ions between fresh
and salt water is utilized to harvest energy. Using
this technology, energy can be generated on any
place in the world where fresh and salt water
meet; 24 hours a day and with zero carbon emis-
sions. A.Hak owns a third of the REDstack shares.
FROM BIOMASS TO BIO COAL
A.Hak also participates in Torrgas and Torr-coal,
two companies specialized in torrefaction. This
technology plays an important role in extracting
energy from biomass. The world actually pro-
duces vast amounts of biomass which is often
not or poorly utilized as it’s only available as an
unprocessed substance, or because it’s dried
or pressed into white pellets with a low energy
density. Torrefaction is a technology that converts
biomass with a low energy density, originating
from forestry or agriculture, to a solid fuel with a
high energy density. The result is a fuel we call bio
coal. In comparison to white pallets, bio coal has
a.hak magazine RENAWABLE ENERGY 41

several important benefits. The energy density
is considerably higher, thus reducing transport
costs. The fuel also has a constant quality and bio
coal can be processed more easily. The Torr-Coal
group specializes in the development and com-
mercial application of torrefaction technology. The
Belgian town Dilsen-Stokkem is home to a fully
operational factory where biomass is torrefied
into an annual output of 30,000 tonnes of bio
coal. A.Hak owns 48% of the shares in Torr-Coal
Technology.
AND FROM BIO COAL TO SYNGAS
The process of renewable energy doesn’t stop
there for A.Hak, as Torrgas specialized in gassing
torrefied material. This allows bio coal to be the
source of two very interesting products from
an economic point of view: Synthetic gas and
carbon. Syngas is a great fuel, while carbon can
be utilized as a resource for industrial processes.
Luck Westerbaan, the director of the Renewable
42 RENAWABLE ENERGY a.hak magazine
Threefold A.Hak’s experience in the field of sustainable projects and work methods is both
sustainable broad and diverse. This annual review already contains articles about both small and
large district heating project and sustainable lighting solutions. And we’re happy to
share just a few of the numerous special projects and investments we’ve completed in
2014 that prove our commitment to the future of our world.
REFUELING HYDROGEN
For Air Liquide, A.Hak Industrie constructed a hydrogen pipeline for the very first public ‘gas’ station
where people can refuel their cars with hydrogen. State Secretary Ms. Mansveld from the Ministry of
Infrastructure & Environment officially opened this station on September 3rd 2013. Air Liquide, the
French manufacturer of industrial gases, cooperates with six other European partners to create a large
European network of hydrogen gas stations. Vehicles using hydrogen as fuel only emit water vapor.
WORKING EFFICIENTLY
While A.Hak focuses on energy solutions that support a sustainable future,
working more sustainably today is of course also of great importance. In
2014, the Equipment Services Department of the A.Hak Pipelines & Facil-
ities division purchased various energy-efficient vehicles with the lowest
carbon emissions currently available. One of these vehicles is this truck
with a crane with a EURO 6 label.
AT THE ZOO
Artis Zoo in Amsterdam, the oldest zoo in the Netherlands, now uses two geothermal solutions to heat
or cool two of her buildings. These systems were constructed by A.Hak company Tjaden, based on an
Energy division, emphasizes that the investment order from Imtech. A.Hak Drillcon was also contracted to carry out a horizontal directional drilling
A.Hak made in both companies form a seamless that allowed the pipelines and cables used for the sources to run under the flamingo ponds.
match with A.Hak’s objective to contribute to a
bio-based economy. ‘We will take on the role of
being the EPC partner in the process of building
the facilities on locations with an abundance of
biomass. In a next stage, we can deploy the gas-
ification technology developed by partner Torrgas DUTCH KING CHRISTENS NEW INSTALLATION
to turn bio coal into syngas with a constant high On November 26th 2014, a large international crowd gathered to witness
quality.’ Willem van Geenhuizen, A.Hak’s CEO Dutch King Willem-Alexander christen the new Blue Energy pilot station at the
emeritus, also weighed in on the topic and is very Afsluitdijk. A.Hak enables this new form of clean and sustainable power gener-
enthusiastic about these new alliances. ‘It highly ation by participating in REDstack, the company that developed this technology
resonates with me that it won’t take long until over the past years. This new Blue Energy pilot station is the very first in the
the global bio mass stocks that now often go world and therefore plays an important role in further positioning the Nether-
to waste, will become the basic component of a lands as a global leader in sustainable energy solutions. REDstack, a spin-off com-
much cleaner energy source. By combining our pany of the research center for sustainable water technology Wetsus in Leeuwar-
vast experience in international operations and den, Frisia, developed the foundation for this technology. Maneuvering both fresh
our expertise in the field of industrial installa- and salt water in the station, through special membranes, causes for a difference
tions, A.Hak is a highly suitable partner to build in electricity fields which can then be converted into electricity itself. The result:
the required torrefaction installations all across clean and sustainable energy that produces no carbon and only has brackish water
the globe.’ as a byproduct.
a.hak magazine RENAWABLE ENERGY 43
Water for Life
With projects in various developing countries,
the Water for Life Foundation, an initiative of
the Vitens Evides International drinking water
conglomerate, contributes to solving global
drinking water problems. A.Hak has supported
this foundation for a long time and continued
to do so, both financially and by deploying our
experts and knowledge in the field of under-
ground and aboveground infrastructure.

Since the start of this initiative, tens of

thousands of people in Ghana, Ethiopia and
Mozambique received active support. A.Hak
specifically focused on Mozambique, where
we teamed up with local water corporations
and contractors to build water networks. In
Bunhica, a district in the Capital of Mozam-
bique, Maputo, the distribution network was
expanded with no less than 21 kilometers. In
the coastal city of Angoche, the existing net-
work was also expanded by creating a water
reservoir and ten water wells.

Water for Life also regularly hosts public

gatherings to inform the public about the im-
portance of clean water, for instance at African
schools that were equipped with drinking
water facilities and toilets.

BEVERWIJK-WIJNGAARDEN,
2013 / 2014
Transport pipeline
for Gasunie