– Perform a detailed and comprehensive geotechnical investigation at the site to provide  subsurface information and to evaluate the bearing materials that will ultimately support the  foundations for the proposed PV power plant.  

– Take a borehole for each hectare, total Boreholes = 27 Boreholes. 

– Recommend soil design criteria, appropriate foundation types, and allowable bearing  capacities.  

* Structures on the site will include PV panels supporting structures, Inverter stations,  transformers and transformers compact stations, Combiner boxes, electrical rooms;  firefighting building; administration building; warehouse; water and wastewater treatment  plants; and treated water storage tank(s). 

The PV mounting structures might be fixed to the ground using driven piles ramming and/or  screw piles. 

The design office shall complete the following scope of geotechnical services: 

• Review geotechnical maps of the area (if available), including roads and canals, as well  as published maps and aerial photographs. 
• Conduct a site and area reconnaissance for evidence of geotechnical concerns. 
• Conduct all field work in accordance with the aforementioned standards. 
  • Cone Penetration Test
  • Cross hole Seismic Test 
  • Field logging 
  • Site characterization 
  • Soil Classification 
  • Soil Resistivity 
  • Standard Penetration Test and Split Barrel Sampling 
  • Thin-Walled Tube Sampling 
  • Soil Thermal Resistivity 
  • Soil Electrical Conductivity
• Make the necessary soil test borings to evaluate general subsurface conditions and  consistency in the site. If the results are not consistent, extra boreholes to be done for the  site. Soil test borings will extend to 10 meters below the existing surface or to auger refusal,  whichever occurs first.  
  • Identify the location of each boring (E- and N-coordinates) to the nearest 0.3 meters. Prepare a log of each boring. 
  • Record water levels in the borings at the time of drilling. 
  • Take at least three (3) undisturbed samples per boring and at least three (3) disturbed  samples per boring, to provide the laboratory testing required information. 
  • Perform standard penetration tests (SPTs) at approximately 1.5-meter intervals to  assess the composition and consistency of the soil; collect disturbed samples. 
  • Backfill and patch borings as needed. 
• Install two piezometers to measure shallow and deep groundwater levels (if groundwater  exists) 
• Analyze samples in accordance with the aforementioned standards. 
  • Atterberg Limits. 
  • Direct Shear 
  • Expansion Index 
  • Free swell 
  • Hydraulic Conductivity 
  • Modified Proctor 
  • Standard Proctor 
  • Triaxial Compression 
  • Unconfined Compressive Strength 
  • Moisture Content 
  • Sieve Analysis 
  • Collapse Potential of Soil 
  • Measuring pH of Soil 
  • Test for Chlorides, Sulfates, Sulfides 
  • California Bearing Ratio (CBR)- Soaked and un-soaked 
  • Site contamination study to be performed. 4 samples shall be made combined to  make one combined sample for each sample
  • Chemical analysis test for soil shall be performed to find out nature of corrosiveness  of soil as per the aforementioned standards in addition to the following codes: 
  • ASTM D4972 – 13: Standard Test Method for pH of Soils 
  • ASTM-D4327- 11: Standard Test Method for Anions in Water by  
  • Suppressed Ion Chromatography 
  • Recommendations for the above tests also to be furnished. 
• Upon completion of the field effort, submit a written report that documents findings along  with conclusions and recommendations. The report shall be prepared under the supervision  of a licensed professional engineer specializing in geotechnical engineering. The report shall  include the following: 
  • A brief review of field procedures, including a site map showing boring locations. A review of area and site geological conditions. 
  • A review of subsurface soil and rock stratigraphy, including a thorough discussion  of physical properties and illustration(s) of typical subsurface soil profiles. 
  • A discussion of site preparation issues, including any potential excavation difficulty  due to rock or groundwater. 
  • Recommendations for site preparation. 
  • Recommendations for foundation design and construction. 
  • Recommendation on the type of Cement or Concrete and reinforcing bars per  CIRIASP31 and C577. 
  • A thorough review of potential design and/or construction issues indicated by the  exploration. 
  • All field and laboratory data in appropriate appendices. 
  • It is to be noted that, as the PV panels are light weight structures and wind load will  govern the design of the foundation, the recommendation in the report shall cover  the uplift nature of the possible types of PV foundations like anchor foundations,  mini pile foundations and strip foundations. 
  • Recommendations for the drainage characteristics of the sites (isolated & combined) Seismic characteristics of the site area and horizontal seismic acceleration value for  the sites. 
  • Recommendation for Erosion of site soil if applicable.

The work shall include, but not be limited to, all necessary research, field inspections,  topographic surveys, calculations and studies necessary to determine the drainage  problems and develop solutions to the identified project. The successful engineering  firm shall prepare separate detailed plans, calculations, specifications, bid documents  with detailed BOQ and an estimate of probable cost, in 20222 US dollars, for the  drainage of Solar PV project, as well as any and all permits from any agencies having  jurisdiction over or within the project and/or project limits as identified below. 

• Baseline Analysis: review the relevant data of previous flood events in the project’s  catchment or nearby areas. 
• Establish Catchment Characteristics: Catchment characteristics such as run-off and  natural stream network are established using leading software such as QGIS, HEC  RAS, HEC-HMS and Civil 3D. These characteristics are further scrutinized for flood  analysis and suitable drainage design. 
• Meteorological Analysis: Analysis of rainfall data gathered from nearby gauge station  or satellite based TRMM data to ascertain flood conditions at site and nearby area. 
• Hydrological Analysis: The hydrology analysis is conducted to derive flood peak  hydrographs and frequency analysis to identify the magnitude of extreme storm events  for the return periods specified. 
• Storm water drains/culverts design: Based on the parameters such as rainfall  intensity, run-off, catchment area, run-off coefficient, existing soil condition, drain out  fall location etc. derived from hydrology study we plan the plant layout and prepare  designs for storm water drains and culverts.

Define the methodology to obtain effort information from piles and its interaction with the soil  where they will be placed. This information will be very useful when compared with effort values  provided by the designer in order to verify the design or if any modification can or should be  introduced.  

• 27 Piles will be tested Vertically, 14 Piles will be tested Horizontally. 
• The tests will be performed on a sample of structure posts with the help of a hydraulic system in  order to verify if traction and lateral loads given by the project designer are in the reality when  posts are installed.  
• Values are given by manometers (pressure) and dials (displacement of the posts). These measures  shall be registered for each post.  
• The PV mounting structures might be fixed to the ground using driven piles ramming. The  Consultant shall supply the Piles. 

• Work Procedures 
  • Site Preparation: 
    • All equipment’s – not used in pulling test – shall be removed from the area of work.  
    • All machines & working tools must be check & have certificates onsite.  
    • Not allow to enter workers not involved at job.  
    • Close out working area with warning sign.  
    • Provide sufficient welfare at working area suitable for all workers.  
  • Pulling out test plan 
    • Check pillars test marking point by surveying team using GPS.  
    • Distribute. Pillars at marking points by using manpower for manual handling & moving  machine to shift pillars 
    • Ramming team will start ramming operation for pillars according client measuring procedure.  
    • Setup pulling out test tools by using chain block connected from one end of calibrated  crane scale with another end with wheal loader certified connection & follow up the required client test load (Max. 4 Ton Vertical test & Max. 3.5 Ton lateral test).  
    • Using caliber gauge to measuring the resultant displacement at load & time interval specified in the technical client require  
    • Results will be record (test point coordinates, post length, loads, time, displacement and  ambient temperature).

• Safety 
  • Risk assessment should be reviewed & discuss with all workers will involve at job &  following up.  
  • Held TBT according to GHA shall be carried out before starting any activity
  • Review with all  worker’s emergency response plan.  
  • Close area by warning sign & cones to keep all workers at safe distance from load tension.  o All works shall comply with type of work & have knowledge for job require. o 
  • Basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shall be worn by all staff or laborers.  
  • Trained operator & working team shall be certified to control or operate heavy equipment  machine.  
  • Emergency car shall be available all-time during operation.

• Tools & Equipment

The following list shows the major tools & equipment that will be used during the Pulling out test  operation.  

• 1 Ramming machine with head.  
• 1 GPS.  
• 1 Wheel-loader, crane or excavator.  
• 1 Chain block min. 5 ton.  
• 1 Round Webbing sling 8 ton.  
• 2 Shackles 12 ton.  
• 1 Caliber gauge with steel setup.  
• 1 load scale or crane load scale.  
• 1 Blanco minimum 5 tons.  
• 1 set for hand tools

• Define Seismic condition of the site, Soil Profile category and Response spectra for the site. – Complete Seismic analysis for the project area is required. Geology study should classify at  which zone the area of the project could be grouped based on seismic activity and based on  the international Codes 
• Determine compressional and shear wave velocity versus depth. These velocity data are used  to help assess the seismic response at Faratsiho area, and determine soil properties in terms  of seismic wave velocities. In a downhole seismic survey, a seismic source is placed on the  
• surface near the downhole and three geophones are placed at selected depths in the  downhole. The raw data obtained from a downhole survey are the travel times for compressional and shear waves from the source to the geophones and the distance between  the source and geophones.  
• Compressional waves are generated by striking a steel plate with a sledgehammer. The steel  plate is located 1-3m from the boring. Shear waves travel slower than compressional waves.  Therefore, compressional waves often interfere with shear waves. This interference  sometimes makes identification of the first shear wave arrival difficult. To improve the  resolution of the shear wave arrival, a seismic shear source is designed to produce a signal,  which contains a large shear wave component and a signal enhancement seismograph is used  to process the received signals from the geophone. We used a shear wave source consisting  of sledgehammer impacts on a 2.4m (8 ft) long x 150mm (6 in) wide wooden beam with steel  end plates. The beam is coupled to the ground by weight for good coupling. The beam is  offset a distance of 1-3 m from the downhole to minimize direct coupling of the seismic  energy to the casing (ASTM D7400-8).  
• The downhole sensors consist of a triaxial geophone, which contains three sensing elements:  one vertical and two orthogonal horizontal elements. The data are analyzed by determining  the interval velocity for each geophone placement. If Interval velocity is determined, we first  compute the distance from the source to each geophone and the difference in arrival times  between the upper and lower geophones. The interval velocity is computed by dividing the  difference in distance between the geophones by the difference in arrival times. It is then  plotted as a function of depth.

• Perform a Topographical Survey at the project site 
  • in a period not exceeding 30 days 
  • to provide a complete set of precise digital topographic maps using state-of-the-art techniques in surveying and mapping. 
• Digital topographic maps with appropriate scales shall be prepared in order to be used as  base maps for earthworks computations and transportation plans (access road from main  asphalt road to project site, inner roads, PV modules’ setting, mounting structures,  foundations, platforms, cable trenches, etc.) as well as design and supervise construction  of different components of the project. 
• The desired outputs are precise digital maps containing all natural and man-made  constructions/obstacles such as roads, fences, buildings, oil pipelines, rock formations,  wades, etc. The survey shall provide a Digital Terrain Model (DTM). 
• The technical specifications for Topographical Survey component are detailed as follows: 
• Get the needed data of the area levels for support the structures of PV modules and for  allowing the determination of the modules structure spacing for optimizing the PV plant  design considering the modules mutual shadow. 
• Get the needed data in AutoCAD format (.dwg) for siting the PV Modules and  transportation of those to the site, which includes registration of data along access road  (from main road to site) as well as registration of oil pipelines or other obstacles (such as  rock formations or wades) to siting the PV modules or install interconnection cables and  roads. 
• A topographical survey of the site must include digital maps of the site and must be done  by a certified, experienced surveyor. The survey must include all of the site plus the access  road and contain a repertory of roads, pipelines, and transmission lines. A distance of 20 m to 50 m outside the site perimeter must be covered by the detailed survey. The survey  shall provide a DTM (Digital Terrain Model). The points shall have a horizontal accuracy  of 10 cm and an altimetry accuracy of 1 m. It is highly recommended to use modern  methods for the topographical survey, such as laser scanning from aircraft to get the  wanted accuracy. The data format shall be .dxf (DXF) and .dwg (AutoCAD), including  roads, pipelines etc. AutoCAD version should be 2012 or higher. A comma delimited  point file with metadata should be included. Additionally, a digital terrain model as an  .xyz file or equivalent compressed format should be supplied if laser scanning or similar  technology is used. 

The survey grid should be done with a mesh of points, normally: 

• 10m x 10m, in case of homogeneous land; 
• 5m x 5m, where critical land or unique features.  
• Each contour line has to be 0.25 m difference in elevation 
• Provide 10 cm accuracy, horizontal and vertical, in 10m x 10m and 5m x 5m grid areas.  

The topographical information survey should include: 

• Locating existing benchmark and reconfirming their level and coordinates; 
• Acquiring of all the necessary permits for the survey in coordination with the client; 
• Reference benchmark with relation to the Mean Sea Level; 
• Setting up of minimum 4 control stations/Benchmarks; 
• Fence; 
• Slopes: percentage, aspect and orientation 
• Underground utilities (Pipelines and Cables); 
• Survey of the buildings and structures in existence on the plot area, if any, also structures  and installations directly adjacent, all fences and all roads; 
• Natural obstacles; 
• HV Power line and towers or poles; 
• MV/LV Power line and tower or poles; 
• Light poles and light towers; 
• Boreholes; 
• Other unique features; 
• Documentation of the traverse and transferring of levels;
• Presentation of the data, including pictures of work in progress and surveyed area and benchmarks; 
• Submission of progress report through e-mail. 
• Submission of draft report. 
• Submission of final report both in print and electronic format of all data. 
• The language of survey preparation shall be in English