CFG potato storage: our project in operation

12/06/2021

Our client Continental Farmers Group put into operation a potato storage facility in Lviv region, West of Ukraine. The storage is able to accommodate 16,000 tons of bulk potato at the depth of 5 meters. Bilfinger Tebodin provided engineering for this project, the scope including detail design with state expertise and author supervision.

Continental Farmers Group​ (CFG) is an agricultural company with international investments. They are operating in Western Ukraine, employing the best practices of agricultural production, the latest technologies and equipment.

Construction works at the facility with a total area of over 6,000 square meters were conducted during 10 months. Bilfinger Tebodin’s task was to equip the storage with forced ventilation systems that evenly distribute air around the entire building through specially designed reinforced concrete floors. To do that, we combined steel and concrete structures with a ventilation system in a perfect synergy for the 5 meter potato layer to stay fresh for 6-8 months.

Another challenge Bilfinger Tebodin accepted was to keep the temperature and humidity in the building in a stable condition. The storage with an area of 90 per 75 meters had 6 cameras for potatoes and 6 technological galleries for humidifiers and fans. We made airtight sandwich walls for the cameras and used plywood moisture-resistant boards for plenums. As the solution for the floor we installed canals underneath the floorslab with openings for the air to go through the potato layers and evenly ventilate them.

‘To achieve this result, Bilfinger Tebodin offered efficient design and market specific solutions,’ shares Mykola Vorontsov, Bilfinger Tebodin project engineering manager. ‘Our team made several comparisons in terms of value engineering of the main structures, spans, storage walls, floors types, cladding and roof structures with engagement of experienced architect in agricultural construction.’ 

‘It was important for us to obtain the construction permit as a first priority, enabling general contractor to start works as early as possible to meet the construction target dates. The services provided by Bilfinger Tebodin’s experienced team made this possible,’ - shared the client’s representative Willem Nammensma, Head of Potato Development Direction.

Watch the video by CFG about how the storage was built (contains text in Ukrainian)