TBM holes through on China’s ambitious water project
16 July 2020Final breakthrough has been achieved in Guangzhou on a tunnel forming part of China’s Pearl River Delta Water Resources Allocation Project Trail Section. A 6.25m-diameter Herrenknecht tunnel boring machine used by the Guangdong No.2 Hydropower Engineering Company holed through to complete the 1.38km-long tunnel.
Located in one of China’s most densely populated and economically important regions, the tunnel is a key element in the US$5.22bn project which will channel water from the Xijiang River to the Dongjiang River through a 113.2km underground pipeline. Planners aim to alleviate water scarcity in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan and also create an emergency water reservoir for Hong Kong.
With a cutterhead power of 990kW, the EPB shield machine has tunnelled through soft ground, lining the tunnel with concrete segments along the way.
