Blatten rockslide: new power line to the upper Lötschental

The BKW crew, from left to right

Anyone who has seen the video of the rockslide at Blatten and the debris cone will not be surprised that the power line to the upper Lötschental was also destroyed on 28 May. Behind Blatten there are properties such as the Hotel Fafleralp and several alpine huts that were spared by the rockslide. At the very back of the valley there are also four small hydropower plants, most of which belong to the municipality of Blatten and the electricity utility EW Blatten and are an important source of income for both. The power plants are intact, but because the power line was destroyed, the energy produced could no longer be transported away.

Permanent rather than temporary power line

In the first few days after the disaster, consideration was given to laying a temporary line to the upper Lötschental, says project manager Bernhard Ritler, who himself lives in the region. But the idea of building the new line as a permanent one quickly gained acceptance – specifically along the emergency road that is also being newly constructed. Alongside the road, a second route was planned for power and other lines, such as telecommunications and water.

The priority was the rapid construction of the emergency road, says Bernhard Ritler. “It would not have made sense to build the road first and then dig it up again shortly afterwards for the lines. That would have interrupted the connection to Blatten again for a longer period” – hence the second route.

Huge material requirements

As early as 10 June, less than two weeks after the rockslide, the first meeting with the crisis team took place. After that, everything had to be prepared and material ordered. This was no easy matter, as the 4.5-kilometre cable of this type is more than half of what BKW normally installs in an entire year. The standard supplier was simply unable to deliver that much material in such a short time. The BKW procurement department was therefore brought in. By the end of July, 18 huge cable reels had been delivered to Wiler, the neighbouring village of Blatten.

Holidays postponed, then full speed ahead

Now the staffing problem still had to be solved, as the summer holiday period was approaching. Project manager Bernhard Ritler made an internal enquiry within BKW in the Bernese Oberland with the Meiringen group. "They were immediately fired up and even postponed holidays to help out." The group was led by Simon Bisang, Head of Grid Construction Jungfrau Region/Oberhasli, and Peter Flühmann, Group Leader. The crew moved into a chalet on site on the Lauchernalp and often worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., so that the line, including joints and connections to the transformer stations, had been pulled in within two weeks in August.

"They went all out," says Bernhard Ritler, because normally such work takes three to four weeks, and together with the civil engineering work even several months. Thanks to special shifts by the installation team and the division of the civil engineering work into three sections with three different companies, the power line was able to be put into operation earlier than planned. Exactly three months after the landslide, on 28 August, the power plants in Blatten were electrically reconnected. Since 10 October, the intact residential buildings and the area in the upper Lötschental have also been supplied again.

The network operator in the Lötschental is EVTL, Energieversorgung Talschaft Lötschen. BKW holds a 49% stake in it and provides the Managing Director, Gilles Russi. Various services for EVTL, such as operation and maintenance of the network as well as billing, are provided by ReLL, Regionale Energie Lieferung Leuk AG. In the lower part of the Lötschental, BKW also operates hydroelectric power plants – these were not directly affected by the rockslide at the end of May.

How things will proceed with the village of Blatten, whether it can be rebuilt and where – these discussions are under way. “Time heals all wounds,” says Bernhard Ritler. There are people from Blatten who are determined to return, but also others who can no longer imagine doing so after what they have experienced. Until building eventually begins, there will be endless hurdles to overcome – but thanks to the efforts made, electricity will be reliably available this year.

*Also involved as holiday replacements (not in the group photo): Benjamin Roth, grid electrician; Thomas Schneider, grid electrician; Neil Ettlin, grid electrician; Uwe Knöfler, grid electrician.

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