The two $A15 million TBMs are a vital part of the plant’s outfall and intake pipeline construction. Marine excavation works began in November with the arrival off the coast of Port Stanvac of the 2,400 tonne Jack Up Barge, the Santa Fe.
Two grade 5 students- Selena Spink and Ellie Jamieson – were the winners of the Name the Tunnel Boring Machine Competition recently run by SA Water and AdelaideAqua.
“It’s exciting to be here to welcome these heavy weight tunnellers and join with some of our future water conservationists to give the bores their names,” Minister Maywald says.
SA Water and AdelaideAqua will later this month begin work on carving tunnels under the seabed for the desalination plant’s intake and outfall pipelines.
The 11.5 kilometre pipeline will deliver desalinated water from Port Stanvac to the Happy Valley water treatment storage area.
The pipeline will run from the Port Stanvac site, underground along Sigma Road, pass under the Noarlunga railway line through vacant land and under Lonsdale Road via tunnels, where it will then cross Field River via a pipe bridge. The pipeline will then be buried in the verge along Lonsdale Road, traverse O’Halloran Hill Recreation Park and Glenthorne Farm and pass under Main South Road to the Happy Valley treated water storages.
“Ways to minimise impacts on the marine environment formed a large part of the environmental investigations undertaken at the start of this project,” Minister Maywald says.
“Using these two custom-built tunnel boring machines will assist to limit the disturbance of the seabed because no large above-ground pipes will be required for the intake and outfall pipelines.
AdelaideAqua consortium comprises McConnell Dowell, Abigroup and Acciona Agua. The pipeline is being constructed by a joint venture between McConnell Dowell and Built Environs.
The Adelaide Desalination Project is on the way to delivering the first desalinated water by the end of 2010, on time and on budget.