MOSE of Venice project
MOSE (MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico, Experimental Electromechanical Module) is the system of retractable mobile floodgates at the lagoon port inlets to defend Venice and the entire lagoon ecosystem from high waters. It is the largest hydraulic engineering project in the world, employing about 3,000 direct and indirect staff. The mobile gates of the MOSE represent the heart of a large series of constructions that combine the physical defence of lagoon towns from flooding with the restoration and environmental rehabilitation of the lagoon.
It is the most impressive environmental protection, recovery and rehabilitation programme that the Italian State has ever undertaken, a commitment that is implemented in a systemic and coordinated approach by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Venice Water Authority. The realisation of the MOSE requires a capacity of approximately 220,000 m3 of concrete, a quantity which is certainly considerable and which has led to particular attention being paid to the use of concrete with specific performances.
HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Calcestruzzi is involved in the project with the supply of i.idro Marine Concrete, a concrete specifically developed for the use in marine environments or exposed to environmental conditions subject to the corrosive action of the sea or air. Although submerged in the sea, the product is able to resist various corrosive actions such as those caused by chlorides and sulphates, the mechanical actions by waves and the resulting actions of the shoreline. With its specific composition for MOSE, it is able to guarantee a lifespan of more than 100 years.
To meet the high volumes required by the construction, Calcestruzzi has installed a concrete plant on the coast of the island of Pellestrina within the site area, consisting of 2 mobile plants. The cement produced by the cement plants in Calusco d'Adda and Trieste arrives at Porto Marghera and then reaches the concrete production plant directly by sea. Thanks to this sustainable decision, traffic on ferry boats and roads has been completely avoided.
