Amec wins UK cable contract

Amec recently won a contract to construct a 2.5km long cable tunnel under the River Thames, near London, England.

Using a Lovat EPBM, a 3m i.d. tunnel will be bored through water-saturated chalk, from Littlebrook in Kent to Thurrock in Essex, not far from the Channel Tunnel Rail Link tunnel already under construction.

Preliminary works are already underway, with the main tunnel drive starting in August 2003. The project should be complete by early 2005.

The tunnel contract was awarded by National Grid, and will house a 400kV cable. It will help meet the increasing demand for electricity in London.