Australia, Company news, Featured, Installation, News

Infrastructure sector growth and value

Maxibor

The Australian infrastructure sector is going through a significant growth and change phase as the world emerges post-covid and refocuses on economic and environmental development. The HDD sector is well positioned to play a significant role in designing and delivering infrastructure projects that can be part of the economic recovery and provide climate change mitigation solutions.

David Turner has spent several decades working in the trenchless industry. In his business development and HDD operational roles at Maxibor, Turner is very familiar with most of the major infrastructure projects requiring HDD that have been completed in recent years; those currently in progress; and those that will be designed and delivered across Australia over the next five years. 

Turner predicts exciting times ahead for the HDD sector from a growth and value perspective. He says, “Companies like Maxibor, which have a widely-recognised reputation for the successful design and delivery of all sized HDD projects, have a wealth of knowledge that can be used at all project phases to add value and help optimise outcomes for all stakeholders.”

maxibor
Maxibor’s national business development manager David Turner

Over the next five years, governments and private sector infrastructure asset owners are set to make unprecedented investment in infrastructure projects. Free from Covid constraints and backed by economic support from Federal and state governments, it is important that the projects are designed and delivered in a manner that takes full advantage of the installation benefits that HDD can provide.

At a project’s concept level, it is important that HDD expertise is part of the early discussions, as HDD involvement at this stage will bring greater understanding of the process and its benefits, plus innovative opportunities for the installation of the infrastructure.

“Providers like Maxibor are already delivering larger diameter and long bores in excess of 2 km,” says Turner. “It is exciting that early connection with our HDD design expertise is increasingly sought out by asset owners, project consultants and design engineering consultancies to provide early input into projects to help identify and better inform early designs and project decisions”.

Once a project moves to the expression of interest (EOI) stage where bidders need to progress design and construction methodology to a more detailed level, having the HDD design and delivery experience in the bid team can be pivotal to the success of the bid.

One recent example is the Sydney Water Refresh Vaucluse to Diamond Bay project. Comdain worked closely with Maxibor and WSP to present Comdain’s winning bid for the design and delivery of this project, which included a 1.85 km pipeline.

The cooperative approach of the bid team and the collaborative NEC4 procurement approach by Sydney Water is creating a project delivery framework which will optimise outcomes for all stakeholders on this showpiece major project.

Maxibor now has one of the largest HDD maxi-rig fleets in Australia. This includes a Vermeer 330×500, American Auger 660, Gallagher 600 and a Gallagher 660e (The Hulk). Maxibor also has the four most powerful pumps in the HDD industry, with its two Gardner Denver PZ8s and two Gardner Denver PZ9s.

The grunt of the rigs and pumps means that Maxibor can take on any length bore. “Project decisionmakers understanding the capabilities of the available HDD equipment is so important across the full project cycle – from concept, design and delivery – as this helps to optimise the value of a project,” says Turner.

Maxibor’s Gallagher 660e maxi-rig, informally known as The Hulk, is the only electric maxi-rig in the HDD industry in Australia.  The electrified spread comes with its own substation and can drill up to 3.5 kms in a single shot with a diameter up to 1.6 m.

According to Stephen Loneragan, one of Australia’s leading HDD design engineers, “Electric spreads provide new design and delivery solutions in Australia, especially for complex capital city water and sewer or power and gas projects where setup, noise, emissions, congestion services and ground conditions all present challenges that need to be overcome.”

There is a growing need for government and private sector funders of investment in infrastructure to meet Environment, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) requirements.  Both ESG and climate are at the top of funders’ lists in terms of risk mitigation, and they want to be able to demonstrate that they are investing in a way that optimises longer term sustainability outcomes for all stakeholders.

In this context, trenchless technology, and more specifically HDD, can provide solutions that are compatible with critical needs of funders, asset owners and the broader community.

Installing infrastructure “down under” is an effective solution for Australia as the country faces the impact of climate change. Having telecommunications and electrical assets underground provides many obvious safety and environmental benefits – one need only look at the ravages of the more extreme weather conditions like the 2019-20 bushfires to see that having infrastructure securely installed at depth provides a significantly safe community. It also facilitates the recovery process as services can be more quickly restored.

Maxibor’s chief executive Rodney O’Meley says the push for early cooperative involvement in projects and environmentally friendly delivery methods reflects the importance the industry is placing on the long-term picture.

“If a project is designed well, its chances of successful delivery and longer-term value are much more likely to be better achieved. Investment in disaster resilient infrastructure needs to be seen not as an additional expense but as an opportunity to create shared value for businesses and society,” says O’Meley.

For more information visit the Maxibor website. 

This article appeared in the February 2022 issue of Trenchless Australasia. Click here to view the digital edition of the magazine. 

 

Send this to a friend