Contributing to sustainable and efficient energy use

Commissioned by Vattenfall, Croonwolter&Dros is realizing the heat station “De Sleutel” (The Key) near Leiden, alongside the A44. This future facility marks another step in the energy transition, with the main goal of supplying residual heat from the Port of Rotterdam to Leiden’s district heating network. Thanks to this proven technological development, Vattenfall will be able to sustainably provide district heating to approximately 10,000 households and 200 large-scale consumers. As a result, society becomes less dependent on fossil fuels.

Why was BAEKEN needed?

Every project starts with a solid and realistic schedule. For the Future Heat Leiden project, BAEKEN was brought in to collaborate with the involved parties on creating an integrated project schedule. Due to the relatively short timeline, the right expertise was required to quickly gain technical knowledge of the project, process it effectively, and ensure that the resulting schedule was fully supported by all stakeholders. This laid a strong foundation for monitoring progress during the engineering, procurement, and execution phases.

Developing an integrated project schedule

For the construction of “De Sleutel” (The Key), Croonwolter&Dros, as the main contractor, is responsible for coordinating all subcontractors and external parties. Using Primavera P6, I began by setting up an integrated project schedule supported by all internal and external disciplines. This comprehensive schedule provided a realistic timeline, clearly mapping out the project’s feasibility and potential bottlenecks. After mitigating these bottlenecks, a baseline was established in consultation with both the client and the contractor.
Monitoring engineering, procurement, and execution

Based on a clear overall schedule, operational activities are closely monitored. Every two weeks, progress is collected and updated in the plan. This information allowed for detailed analysis of the schedule and any potential shifts, enabling timely mitigation actions. For example, assessing the impact of delays in certain activities and providing tailored advice to minimize these delays.
Creating a 6-week execution schedule

During execution, the need for an integrated 6-week schedule grew: one that combined the sub-schedules of all participating parties. By consolidating various Excel and Microsoft Project schedules into a single 6-week plan within Primavera P6, an execution schedule was developed. This integration optimized the alignment between the 6-week schedule and the overall schedule, ensuring that the combined duration of sub-activities accurately reflected the overarching activity. Through a rolling-window approach, new information is added each week to keep the schedule as up-to-date as possible.