How to Dam Out Unauthorized Access

The Nam Theun is a tributary of the Mekong and flows through Laos. Its role as an energy source will become more significant in the next few years. The completion of the second barrage project, bearing the name of Nam Theun 2 is scheduled for completion this year. Winkhaus's BlueChip electronic access control system will play a key role in ensuring a high level of security for the project, something which is required by the World Bank in its capacity as a lender. Winkhaus‘s project advisor, Günther Zimmer, visited the location with a team of Thai security engineers to complete initial installation work.

World Bank‘s Security Requirements

The World Bank‘s security requirements for the project are stringent. International standards must be maintained from construction through to operations. Even in such remote areas as Central Laos the BlueChip solution offers the characteristics to fulfill this standard. Laos is the only landlocked country in South East Asia. It has borders with China and Thailand, among other countries, and both are major consumers of Laos‘s export industry. Generating hydro-electric power is the most important branch of industry in this country with some six million inhabitants. This is reflected in the fact that, following completion of the Nam Theun 2 Dam with a length of up to 500 m and a height of up to 39 m, three further dams along the river are planned.

Know-how in Technology and on Site

Building work on the Nam Theun 2 complex started in 2005. In June 2009, the building work had made sufficient progress to warrant initial installations of the BlueChip locking system. The range of applications for Winkhaus‘s electronic access control system covers everything from the gatekeeper‘s lodge, through generator rooms, to the flooding areas. Three further deadlines have been planned for the installation of no less than 255 BlueChip cylinders in the scope of the project.
To ensure professional implementation of the work on site, Winkhaus‘s project advisor, Günther Zimmer, accompanied a team of technicians from Skulthai Co. Ltd. from Thailand for two weeks. The security specialist, whose head offices are located in Bangkok, has been a Winkhaus customer for years and has supplied material for projects in Thailand and abroad one of them being the Nam Theun 2 Dam in neighbouring Laos. In November 2008, Skulthai staff took part in training in Germany. At the Winkhaus Training Centre they familiarised themselves with BlueChip access control and organisational technology. They soon mastered installation, programming and management of the system. Thanks to this, they were able to provide valuable support to Günther Zimmer on site in Laos.
Together, they installed 85 electronic BlueChip cylinders in external and internal doors, as well as padlocks and panic doors. At the same time, they also programmed all 255 cylinders which will be installed by the time the dam is completed. „Despite the heat and humidity, work made excellent progress, so much so that the team from Thailand will be able to handle the three planned installation trips on its own", Zimmer reports.

Perfectly Suited for the ­Region

After completion of the building project, staff from Skulthai will train the staff from the dam in the use of the BlueChip system to enable them to manage their system independently. Easy hardware handling and the user-friendly software will facilitate this work. After all, BlueChip helps users to implement organisational changes in next to no time with just a few clicks on the central PC. Lost keys can be blocked in the system at any time and new utilisation concepts can be quickly implemented. Access entitlements can be restricted with respect to time, and access via doors can also be logged electronically, if needed. The BlueControl software, which Winkhaus tailors individually to customer requirements, ensures reliable system operations.
And the eight hundred BlueChip keys, which will be handed out to the dam‘s staff on completion of the project, are perfectly suited for use in the region. The BlueChip key does not require a battery and is enclosed in a stable, watertight plastic housing. This means that it can easily cope with the humid climate. Additionally, the BlueChip key is used like a normal mechanical key; in other words, inserted into the electronic BlueChip cylinder and turned. Thanks to the key owner‘s individual locking authorisations, the cylinder immediately and reliably detects who is allowed to open the door, and when.