DCA-Europe Holds 12th Annual Congress in Dresden

Are drilling lengths up to 10 km in one go operated by means of HDD feasible in future? This was one of the exciting questions that were discussed at DCA-Europe’s 12th annual Congress, held Oct. 17-19. DCA’s annual Congress in Dresden, Germany, established a new record with more than 150 participants. “Not only the number of participants is remarkable, but the fact that more than two-thirds of our association’s members made their way to Dresden. This is a very satisfying and noteworthy signal,” said DCA executive secretary Dietmar Quante said in his welcoming.

The future will pose huge challenges for HDD, especially in the new federal states of Germany, said DCA president Hermann Lübbers. “The OPAL pipeline, for example, that will run for more than 480 km through the new German states along the Polish border comprises a large number of HDD [projects] that will extent the known limit range,” said Lübbers. According to Lübbers, suppliers and construction companies from other areas in and beyond Europe, too, send inquiries intending to feel out the limits of HDD. Correspondingly, “HDD – A Technology Without Limits?” was the focus of the Congress, with topics related to large scale drillings and the future of HDD intersect projects.

Other topics of discussion included consideration of costs, benefits and cost-effectiveness of trenchless pipeline laying from the view of the planner, quality assurance for large scale HDD drillings and some interesting projects.

For more information, visit www.dca-europe.de.