Godavari River Crossing
India, Rajahmundry
2007

India’s economy is booming. To meet the country’s growing energy demand, India increasingly relies on natural gas. By 2025, natural gas is planned to make up a fifth of the country’s energy mix. To achieve this goal, the 1,386-kilometer-long "East-West Gas Pipeline"  will be laid on the subcontinent. Beneath the Godavari River in Southwest India, a 2,400-meter-long casing tunnel had to be driven beneath the riverbed before the summer monsoon would make the River burst its banks.

Tunnelling works under time pressure – no problem for the two identical EPB Shields made by Herrenknecht. The two machines started tunnelling from both riverbanks – reaching their target in the middle of the river after only three months. This left enough time to pull the prefabricated gas pipeline into the casing tunnel with up to five meters per minute using the Herrenknecht Pipe Thruster HK250/500PT before the flood waters arrive. And make the expansion of the natural gas network take one giant step forward.

Data Sheet

Country, Location

India, Rajahmundry

Year

2007

Application

Gas

Geology

Soft ground
Sand, clay, siltstone

Tunnelling length

2,475 m

Machine Data

2x EPB Shield:
Diameter: 2,885 mm
Lining method: Pipe jacking
Cutterhead power: 400 kW
Torque: 1,020 kNm

Your contact person Contact us

Steffen Dubé President and General Manager Herrenknecht Tunnelling Systems USA Inc.
Gerhard Goisser Commercial Manager Herrenknecht Tunnelling Systems USA, Inc.