Enefit 280-2 Chemical Plant: Retort Building and Substation/Control Building
Karl Kasepõld
The second shale oil plant for Enefit Power, located within the Auvere chemical industry complex, is a globally unique facility and represents Estonia’s largest single industrial development of the past decade. Enefit 280-2 comprises several buildings – the technological heart is housed in the retort building, with the equipment’s command center located right next door in the control building. In the adjacent turbine hall, electricity is generated using waste heat.
The retort building is the largest single structure among them, featuring a subterranean level extending up to 5 meters deep and a peak height of 72.4 meters.
Every room and level required close coordination during construction with the technology designer and supplier. The building was constructed in stages: following the main phases, major technological equipment was installed directly into its final position. Certain equipment components consisted of massive segments measuring nearly 10×20 meters, weighing over 100 tons, and requiring installation tolerances within millimeters. The building’s fire safety engineering was equally complex.
Structural steelwork forms the load-bearing framework for both the building and the production technology, complete with hundreds of maintenance platforms and catwalks. In total, the building incorporates 132,947 steel structural elements, with installation taking over a year across two shifts.
The retort and turbine buildings utilize approximately 12,200 cubic meters of concrete structures in total, ranging from foundation slabs and equipment support frames to 10-meter-high walls and a 50-meter elevator and stair shaft.
